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Colonial Photography—Viewfinder on the Past Colonial Sites, in a Previous Phase of Evolution Many of our most valued historic sites were an overlooked part of ordinary life prior to the 20th century. As these sites have now undergone significant transformations, the documentation of their pre-restoration use and appearance is of special value. The casual use and maintenance of these structures is a sharp contrast to today's polished restorations.
Fanny Coit. Smith College Photo Album. Cyanotype prints. 1891-1896. For many of the millions of visitors, the experience of the restored colonial Williamsburg instills American values based on an idealized past. In the 1920s, Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, backed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., led one of the largest restoration projects ever, with over 80 buildings from the 18th century carefully restored. The sense of the past and the values represented in these pre-restoration views are very different from the present.
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Ontario and Quebec Vacation Photo Album. Gelatin silver prints. Ca. 1890s. Quebec City still has a strong connection to its colonial past. Now a beautifully maintained park, the battlefield at Quebec, where British General Wolfe fell in 1759, was still open farmland in the 1890s. The house that was French General Montcalm's Headquarters had become a barbershop.
Henry M. Wheeler. Boston Stone, Scottow's Alley, Boston. Gelatin silver print. Ca. 1890s. The "Boston Stone", originally a grindstone from Thomas Child's paint mill, which has stood on the site since the 1630s. It was believed to have been the marker of the geographic center of Boston. |
Henry M. Wheeler. Doten House, Oldest in Plymouth. Cyanotype print. Ca. 1890s.
Henry M. Wheeler. Frarey House, Deerfield. Cyanotype print. Ca. 1890s.
Henry M. Wheeler. Harlow House, Plymouth. Cyanotype print. Ca. 1890s.
Henry M. Wheeler. Old State House, Boston. Gelatin silver print. Ca. 1890s. The Old State House in Boston, surrounded by modern high-rise construction in the 1890s. |
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