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18b56cdc7190fd12836574136da4a9f3
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
Frank Dementi Photograph Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Dementi, Frank A. (1905-1986)
Williamsburg (Va.) - Buildings, structures, etc.
Williamsburg (Va.) - Photographs
Visitors, Foreign
Military personnel - American - Virginia - Williamsburg
Description
An account of the resource
A selection of photographs taken mostly before 1946 of Williamsburg buildings, events, and people by Richmond, Virginia photographer Frank Dementi and donated to Colonial Williamsburg in 1965. The nephew of Anthony L. Dementi, who founded the Dementi Studio in 1924, Frank Dementi graduated from the Winona School of Photography in Indiana. After working for several years with his brother, Tony Dementi, Frank started a position as a photo journalist with the Richmond News Leader where he worked alongside colleague Park Rouse who recalled "He liked action photography which involved movement, excitement, or even danger ."
Soon after the outbreak of World War II, Dementi opened Colonial Studio in the Business Block at the West end of Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg, Virginia on June 9, 1942. He focused primarily upon photographing soldiers and sailors stationed with military bases in the area but also took on a number of important assignments for Colonial Williamsburg and even took pictures of German prisoners of war. Two of his most exciting opportunities came when members of the Churchill family visited Williamsburg during and shortly after World War II.
In 1945, Dementi relocated his Colonial Studio, offering illustrative and portrait photography, to 9 East Grace Street in Richmond, Virginia, where he operated the business until his retirement in 1984. His early experimentation with color photography led him to win an award in 1955 for a composition set in Colonial Williamsburg that he titled "The Sabbath." Colonial Williamsburg's Director of Promotions, Thomas McCaskey, assisted him with arrangements for the photo shoot and praised the resulting scene of costumed interpreters positioned along Palace Street for "...completely captur[ing] the charm and informality of historic Williamsburg." Throughout his career, he continued to document dignitaries, leaders, and celebrities who visited Virginia, shot numerous scenic views to support state tourism efforts, and continued to take many studio portraits. An engaging storyteller who put his subjects at ease, Frank participated in significant historical events and met many interesting personalities as he built his business.
Over the course of his career, Dementi completed numerous photo shoots at Colonial Williamsburg, ranging from special events and exhibition building openings to the visits of Clementine and Sarah Churchill in September 1943 and Winston Churchill and Dwight D. Eisenhower on March 8, 1946. Mary Churchill, a subaltern in the British Army, took a break from her duties serving as her father’s aide-de-camp during the U.S. visit to accompany her mother on an impromptu trip to Williamsburg organized by the British Embassy. The two started their morning at the Williamsburg Inn, where they met Vernon Geddy, First Vice-President of Colonial Williamsburg, who served as their escort, and local photographer Frank Dementi, who operated Colonial Studio in Williamsburg from 1942-1945. Lord Moran, Winston Churchill’s private physician, and two aides from the White House also accompanied the party. During a guided tour of selected exhibition buildings, including the Governor’s Palace, where costumed interpreter Midge Adolph greeted the women, Clementine and Mary learned about the former British capital. A luncheon at the Travis House Restaurant allowed the group to sample some of the famous scalloped oysters and other fare that won rave reviews from many military and diplomatic guests. Mary Churchill remarked to Vernon Geddy that her post-war plans needed to include a two week stay in Williamsburg. During their “flying visit” to Williamsburg, as Mary Churchill described it, the two learned of Italy’s surrender to the Allies while touring the Raleigh Tavern. It proved to be a momentous day for wartime Williamsburg and one memorialized by Frank Dementi in a series of photo albums he later sent for presentation to the Churchill family.
During his 1946 tour of the United States with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Sir Winston Churchill made plans to visit Colonial Williamsburg, now twelve years old after the opening of its Historic Area. Mr. Churchill and General Eisenhower arrived by a special train on Friday, March 8, 1946. Their party enjoyed a tour of the Historic Area, followed by a visit to the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary. During their carriage ride, the horses were frightened and the tour continued by car. General Eisenhower recalled how “Sir Winston didn’t pay any attention [to the frightened horses], he just lit his cigar.”
After the tour, Mr. Churchill and General Eisenhower were invited to tea at Raleigh Tavern by Mr. Kenneth Chorley, President of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, where Frank Dementi had the singular honor of being the only photographer allowed in to capture images of the event. The party proceeded to dinner at the Williamsburg Inn. Sir Winston Churchill graced Colonial Williamsburg with an eloquent speech at dinner, concluding with a generous wish: “Long may Colonial Williamsburg flourish! Firm may be the links which it may forge with our past, and may those links of distant by-gone days be reinforced by new links and new bonds which will reach across the ocean and join our two peoples together.”
Frank Dementi's Williamsburg photos constitute the subject matter of this collection while over 70,000 photos relating to the broader history of Richmond and the state of Virginia reside with the Valentine Museum. Members of the Dementi family hold the remainder of his photographic legacy.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Dementi, Frank A.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1930s-1940s
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Frank Dementi Photograph Collection
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
250 photographs
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
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.
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
Barraud House
Description
An account of the resource
Front elevation of the Barraud House, formerly known as the Mercer House, Williamsburg, Virginia
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Dementi, Frank
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Frank Dementi 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
1965-D-1508
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Subject
The topic of the resource
Barraud House (Williamsburg, Va.)
Architecture, Domestic - Virginia - Williamsburg
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Block 10. Building 01.
Balustrades
Barraud House
Clapboard Siding
Columns
Dormers
Frank Dementi
Mercer House
Pediments
Porches
Shutters
Virginia
Williamsburg
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ead583803acc013a3fcbf3b41781c040
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
Earl Gregg Swem Photograph Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Swem, E.G. (Earl Gregg), 1870-1965
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Architectural photographs - 1920-1930
Description
An account of the resource
Dr. Earl Gregg Swem served as a librarian at the College of William and Mary from 1920-1944. A graduate of Lafayette College, he began building his library career through several positions in the Chicago area in the late 19th-century. In 1903, he accepted an appointment to a position in the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress. He then held the position of Assistant State Librarian of Virginia from 1907-1919. In 1920, he arrived in Williamsburg to head the College of William & Mary's Library, where he worked diligently to expand its historical collections into what would one day be the nucleus of the library's Special Collections Research Center. During his tenure at the College of William & Mary, Swem also managed the William & Mary Quarterly and published the Virginia Historical Index in 1936. After his death in 1965, the College named its new main library the Earl Gregg Swem Library in his honor.
It is not known whether Swem took the photographs in this collection himself or gathered them from various local sources as part of his ongoing research on Virginia history topics. They date to circa 1920-1921 and primarily document buildings in Williamsburg's historic area prior to their restoration.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Swem, Earl Gregg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Early 1920s
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
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"
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
Dr. Barraud House
Subject
The topic of the resource
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Architecture, Domestic - Virginia - Williamsburg
Barraud House (Williamsburg, Va.)
Block 10. Building 01.
Description
An account of the resource
Pre-restoration view of the Dr. Barraud House (formerly the Mercer House.)
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Swem, Earl Gregg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Circa 1920
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
Circa 1920
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Earl Gregg Swem Photograph Collection, AV2009.24, Box 1, Folder 2
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
Swem-29
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Clapboard Siding
Colonial Architecture
Dormers
Dr. Barraud House
Earl Gregg Swem
Mercer House
Pediments
Porches
Pre-Restoration
Virginia
Williamsburg
-
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f7a5bfc31c1969bd41568fd045121da2
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
Earl Gregg Swem Photograph Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Swem, E.G. (Earl Gregg), 1870-1965
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Architectural photographs - 1920-1930
Description
An account of the resource
Dr. Earl Gregg Swem served as a librarian at the College of William and Mary from 1920-1944. A graduate of Lafayette College, he began building his library career through several positions in the Chicago area in the late 19th-century. In 1903, he accepted an appointment to a position in the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress. He then held the position of Assistant State Librarian of Virginia from 1907-1919. In 1920, he arrived in Williamsburg to head the College of William & Mary's Library, where he worked diligently to expand its historical collections into what would one day be the nucleus of the library's Special Collections Research Center. During his tenure at the College of William & Mary, Swem also managed the William & Mary Quarterly and published the Virginia Historical Index in 1936. After his death in 1965, the College named its new main library the Earl Gregg Swem Library in his honor.
It is not known whether Swem took the photographs in this collection himself or gathered them from various local sources as part of his ongoing research on Virginia history topics. They date to circa 1920-1921 and primarily document buildings in Williamsburg's historic area prior to their restoration.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Swem, Earl Gregg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Early 1920s
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Image
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.
8" x 10"
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
Dr. Barraud House
Subject
The topic of the resource
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Barraud House (Williamsburg, Va.)
Block 10. Building 01.
Architecture, Domestic - Virginia - Williamsburg
Description
An account of the resource
Pre-restoration view of the south façade of the Dr. Barraud House (formerly the Mercer House or Ryland House), Williamsburg, Virginia.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Swem, Earl Gregg
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Circa 1920
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
Circa 1920
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Earl Gregg Swem Photograph Collection, AV2009.24, Box 1, Folder 2
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
Swem-38
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Chimneys
Clapboard Siding
Colonial Architecture
Dormers
Dr. Barraud House
Earl Gregg Swem
Francis Street
Mercer House
Porches
Ryland House
Shutters
Virginia
Williamsburg