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e50d500fcef5bb92fb24bd8a17d0ecdd
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Todd and Brown Inc. Photograph Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Todd and Brown Inc., New York
Todd, Webster B.
Brown, J.O.
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg - 1930-1939
Williamsburg (Va.) - Photographs
Williamsburg (Va.) - Buildings, structures, etc.
Description
An account of the resource
Todd and Brown, Incorporated, a subsidiary firm of Todd, Robertson and Todd Engineering Corporation, headquartered in New York City, entered into a contract with the Williamsburg Holding Corporation on June 6, 1928. The engineers and contractors carried out work as directed by the architects and landscape architects on the reconstruction and restoration of historic structures and gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. Mr. Webster B. Todd and Mr. J.O. Brown served as the principals of Todd and Brown, Incorporated. They appointed Robert Trimble to head the firm's Williamsburg office. Between 1928 and 1934, the Williamsburg crew undertook many different construction tasks in support of the museum's development and the relocation of the town's business district to Merchants Square. The Williamsburg office closed in 1934, when Williamsburg Restoration Inc. established its own Construction and Maintenance Department. However, the firm continued to be involved in a supervisory capacity with the building of the Williamsburg Inn from 1936 to 1938.
The Todd and Brown Inc. Photograph Collection, AV2010.3, encompasses over eight hundred negatives and their corresponding photographic prints housed in an album. Systematic examination of the town and extensive planning occurred before the contractors began their assignment to demolish or move buildings not dating to the colonial era. Each photograph they took served a documentary purpose of recording a colonial structure, modern dwelling, business, church, municipal building, or outbuilding as it appeared prior to any work proceeding at a site. The collection is thus a significant archive of the many homes, grocery stores, general stores, gas stations, barber shops, banks, and offices that once stretched up and down Duke of Gloucester Street. It also offers many pre-restoration views of eighteenth-century buildings that had undergone modifications by later residents. A selection of images offers views of early progress on the reconstruction of such public buildings as the Capitol and Raleigh Tavern.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Todd and Brown Inc., New York
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Original Format
If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Gelatin silver print
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image.
2 x 3 inches
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Todd and Brown Inc., New York
Description
An account of the resource
View looking east on Duke of Gloucester Street from Botetourt Street, Williamsburg, Virginia. An Esso service station is visible on the left.
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Todd-Brown Photograph Collection, AV2010.13, Box 1
Title
A name given to the resource
Duke of Gloucester Street
Subject
The topic of the resource
Service stations - Virginia - Williamsburg
Streets - Virginia - Williamsburg
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
TB005
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Automobiles
Duke of Gloucester Street
Esso Service Station
Gas Pumps
Street Scenes
Todd and Brown Inc.
Trucks
Virginia
Williamsburg
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b85d892e71e1be5c4631603b560f658d
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Selections from the Frank Nivison Photograph Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Nivison, Frank
Black and white photographs
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Public buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Architecture, Domestic - Virginia - Williamsburg
Architecture, Colonial - Virginia - Williamsburg
Description
An account of the resource
Frank Reginald Nivison served as a contract photographer for Colonial Williamsburg during the initial restoration of the town between 1930 and 1935. Prior to this, he served as a darkroom assistant at the University Film Foundation at Harvard University. He was hired by the Williamsburg Holding Corp. to take progress photos of construction and restoration work, as well as of buildings to be wrecked or moved. According to a memo issued by architect William G. Perry to Frank Nivison on December 12, 1930, his work was to “…include the photography of all buildings and parts of buildings, exterior and interior, which the architects deem necessary for architectural and historical purposes. Such photographs would be supplemented by progress photographs of construction work as it proceeds. All buildings to be wrecked should be photographed before the wrecking takes place. In addition, there will be photographs of furniture, fabrics, and objects of all kinds.”
Nivison set up a small photographic studio in a room in the Bruton Parish House. His equipment included a Zeiss camera, 5x7 inch, with a F 4.5 lens and a special magazine for cut films, along with a Mitchell tripod with a ball and socket head. His darkroom equipment consisted of an Eastman Auto-focus Enlarger, printing machines, and various accessories such as tanks and scales. Over the course of five years, he took more than 7,000 photographs documenting each stage of the restoration or reconstruction of various 18th-century buildings in Williamsburg. Copies of these photographs were forwarded to the offices of Perry, Shaw, & Hepburn in Boston so that the architects could monitor the progress of various projects. Nivison’s photographs were also used to produce postcards, “before and after” lantern slides, and publicity relating to the restoration of Williamsburg.
By late 1935, Nivison had started taking on a lot of outside photography business and Colonial Williamsburg officials felt he should establish himself as an independent photographer. Nivison’s employment with Colonial Williamsburg terminated on July 1, 1935. However, Colonial Williamsburg continued to utilize his services on an as needed basis and assisted him in setting up his own business in Williamsburg. Unfortunately, Nivison did not attract enough outside commissions to enable him to operate independently and filed for bankruptcy in 1937. He applied to Colonial Williamsburg for a monthly retainer fee for his periodic services and was given $100.00 per month to draw upon in 1938. With the advent of World War II, Nivison moved back to Massachusetts in 1940.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Original Format
If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Gelatin silver print
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image.
8 x 10 inches
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Person's Servicenter
Subject
The topic of the resource
Block 15. Building 04A.
Service stations - Virginia - Williamsburg
Merchants Square (Williamsburg, Va.)
Description
An account of the resource
View of Person's Servicenter, an Esso gas and service station once located at the corner of Boundary and Francis Streets in Williamsburg, Virginia, circa 1940.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Nivison, Frank
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Circa 1940
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
Circa 1940
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Frank Nivison Photograph Collection
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
N6116
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Automobiles
Boundary Street
Esso Service Station
Francis Street
Frank Nivison
Gas stations
Person's Servicenter
Virginia
Williamsburg
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2d6876cab00b0753eabbb49a8ffb1952
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Highlights of the Albert Durant Photography Collection
Description
An account of the resource
The Albert Durant Photography Collection encompasses photoprints, negatives, slides, and personal papers that document the photographic production of Williamsburg's first black city-licensed photographer, Albert Durant. Durant's photographic output provides a priceless visual history of African American life in Williamsburg, Virginia and surrounding communities from the late 1930s to the early 1960s. Since the collection encompasses ten thousand images, highlights of some of the major subject categories covered by the photos are presented here.
The collection provides a fascinating glimpse into African American social life in Williamsburg during the 1940s and 1950s. Durant captured the atmosphere of local jazz and night clubs through scenes of performers singing and dancing and audiences socializing. Durant also acted as photographer for many African American clubs and organizations. Along with taking formal group portraits, he documented these groups through informal shots of meetings, dinners, and special events.
African American student life during segregation is also featured in this visual archive. While a high school student at James City County Training School, Durant began developing his interest in photography by taking images of student activities, including sports, dances, plays, assemblies, and graduations. As an adult, Durant acted as a portrait photographer for Junior-Senior Proms at local black high schools and also documented the sports teams, marching bands, choirs, students, and faculty at Bruton Heights School in Williamsburg.
African American spiritual life is another strength of the collection. Durant photographed church groups, such as choirs and missionary circles, as well as individuals participating in rituals at many different black churches in the Williamsburg area.
Occupations, working conditions, and business opportunities for African Americans in Williamsburg are recorded in Durant's photos, too. The photos show African Americans working in restaurants, beauty and barber shops, stores, offices, dry cleaners, and gas stations.
Albert Wadsworth Durant was born on February 2, 1920 in New York City to Samuel and Bessie Durant. His mother was a native of Williamsburg who moved with her husband to New York and worked as a domestic servant for a family. After the death of her husband, who was originally from the West Indies, Bessie Durant and her children relocated to Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1929.
At age 36, Durant married Elsie Lucille Ferguson on August 18, 1956. They raised three sons, Albert W. Durant Jr., Byron Murphy, and Roderick Ferguson, and two daughters, Yvette Durant and Deanna Ferguson.
Albert Durant ran his own chauffeuring and limousine business in the Williamsburg area, providing services to many distinguished visitors to the city, including the Queen Mother of England, the Prince of Japan, and various chief justices. He often took his customers on excursions to local historic sites, including Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and the James River plantations. Through course work at the College of William and Mary, Durant acquired a background in American history which enabled him to provide historical commentary as he drove customers through the countryside.
Durant's contacts at the College of William and Mary sparked his initial interest in photography and once he had obtained equipment and training, Durant began creating his own historical record of the Williamsburg area. He produced hundreds of portraits documenting the families and activities of African American residents and also documented significant events, places, and persons in and around Williamsburg.
In addition, Albert Durant worked to improve conditions for African Americans in Williamsburg by serving in various positions in the city's government. He acted as the first black Justice of the Peace and Bail Commissioner in Williamsburg and served as the first black magistrate of the General District Court from his appointment in 1962 until his retirement in 1975.
Albert Durant died at age 71 on April 14, 1991.
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples of still images are: paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type "text" to images of textual materials.
Original Format
If the image is of an object, state the type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Gelatin silver print
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image.
8x10 inches
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Esso Service Station
Subject
The topic of the resource
African American Photographers
Documentary Photography - Virginia - New Kent County
Service stations - Virginia - New Kent County
African American business enterprises - Virginia - New Kent County
Description
An account of the resource
Esso Service Station, Rt. 60, Providence Forge, New Kent County, Virginia
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Durant, Albert W.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Circa 1950's
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
Circa 1950's
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Albert W Durant Photography Collection, AV-1992.1, Box 7, Folder 19
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DUR-5552
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D, Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
1 item
African American business enterprises
Albert Wadsworth Durant
Esso Service Station
Gas stations
New Kent County
Providence Forge
Virginia