1
20
5
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8ec0439a44b2237785aea1d20c999d4d
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
Lightfoot House
Subject
The topic of the resource
Block 03. Building 10.
Architecture, Domestic - Virginia - Williamsburg
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Description
An account of the resource
Pre-restoration view of the north elevation of the Lightfoot House, formerly known as the Nightengale House, Williamsburg, Virginia, circa 1930.
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 1930
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
Circa 1930
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
N215
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
Dormers
Frank Nivison
Gambrel Roofs
Lightfoot House
Nightingale House
Porches
Pre-Restoration
Shutters
Transoms
Virginia
Williamsburg
-
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7359fd1be7e01aff4fbccde32195a832
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
Peter Hornbeck Lantern Slide Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lantern slides - Hand-colored - 1930-1940
Hornbeck, Peter - 1936-1998
Williamsburg (Va.)--History.
Architecture, Colonial - Virginia - Williamsburg
Description
An account of the resource
Mr. Peter Hornbeck, a renowned Landscape Architect and Harvard professor, assembled this collection of lantern slides produced between the late 1930s and early 1940s. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Peter Hornbeck managed the landscape architecture firm of Hornbeck Associates in North Andover, Massachusetts during the 1950s. He became a faculty member of the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1963 and taught courses focusing upon historic landscape preservation and city planning.. These lantern slides served as visual aids during lectures he gave about the Williamsburg Restoration and eighteenth-century garden history. The lantern slides encompass a variety of images of Williamsburg available commercially from A.D. Handy, F.S. Lincoln, Eldredge Studio, and the National Geographic Society. They also include some images of historic homes and gardens in other parts of Virginia and in Great Britain.
This collection is significant as a record of how landscape architects were interpreting and presenting eighteenth-century garden history during the 1930s and 1940s. It also provides a visual record of Williamsburg buildings and gardens before, during, and after the restoration work undertaken in the early 1930s. In addition, the collection documents how the Williamsburg Restoration publicized its work through commercial slide sets. For example, Mr. F.S. Lincoln, a New York photographer hired to compile a photographic portfolio of restored Williamsburg buildings for a special issue of the "Architectural Record" in 1935, also created colorized lantern slides of his photos for sale in Williamsburg shops. The Peter Hornbeck Lantern Slide Collection contains numerous examples of these early souvenir images.
A precursor of 35mm slides, lantern slides are large format positive transparencies, usually 3.25 x 4 inches, sandwiched between two pieces of glass. Many were hand-colored. A projector allowed the slides to be viewed on a wall or screen. Instead of automatically advancing from one slide to the next, the lantern slides had to be manually placed into a slot on the projector.
Invented in 1848, lantern slides evolved from those associated with magic lanterns in the late nineteenth-century to the format represented in this collection. Between 1848-1870, oil lamps served as the light source for magic lantern projectors. By the 1890s, the carbon arc lamp offered a better lighting method. The introduction of electricity in the twentieth-century allowed the projection of lantern slides to become common in schools and universities. Lantern slides became obsolete in the 1950s when the Kodachrome three-color process brought about the introduction of 35mm slides.
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
Lantern Slide
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image.
3.25 x 4 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/.
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Peter Hornbeck Lantern Slide Collection, AV-2000.9, Box 1
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
HLS-45
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Title
A name given to the resource
Nightingale House
Subject
The topic of the resource
William Lightfoot House (Williamsburg, Va.)
Block 11. Building 14.
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Architecture, Domestic - Virginia - Williamsburg
Lantern Slides - Hand colored - 1930-1940
Description
An account of the resource
Pre-restoration view of the William Lightfoot House, once known as the Nightingale House, 1929. Yorktown merchant William Lightfoot constructed the dwelling to serve as a town home during visits to Williamsburg to participate in the Governor's Council. Later occupants enlarged the house to include an east wing and front porch, both of which were removed during the building's restoration in 1931.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1929
Balustrades
Chimeys
Dormer Windows
Gambrel Roofs
Glass Transparencies
Lantern Slides
Lost Architecture
Nightingale House
Peter Hornbeck
Porches
Pre-Restoration
Shutters
Transoms
Virginia
Weatherboarding
William Lightfoot House
Williamsburg
-
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14f99ece7365bc01730eaa7020dfee0c
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
Peter Hornbeck Lantern Slide Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lantern slides - Hand-colored - 1930-1940
Hornbeck, Peter - 1936-1998
Williamsburg (Va.)--History.
Architecture, Colonial - Virginia - Williamsburg
Description
An account of the resource
Mr. Peter Hornbeck, a renowned Landscape Architect and Harvard professor, assembled this collection of lantern slides produced between the late 1930s and early 1940s. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Peter Hornbeck managed the landscape architecture firm of Hornbeck Associates in North Andover, Massachusetts during the 1950s. He became a faculty member of the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1963 and taught courses focusing upon historic landscape preservation and city planning.. These lantern slides served as visual aids during lectures he gave about the Williamsburg Restoration and eighteenth-century garden history. The lantern slides encompass a variety of images of Williamsburg available commercially from A.D. Handy, F.S. Lincoln, Eldredge Studio, and the National Geographic Society. They also include some images of historic homes and gardens in other parts of Virginia and in Great Britain.
This collection is significant as a record of how landscape architects were interpreting and presenting eighteenth-century garden history during the 1930s and 1940s. It also provides a visual record of Williamsburg buildings and gardens before, during, and after the restoration work undertaken in the early 1930s. In addition, the collection documents how the Williamsburg Restoration publicized its work through commercial slide sets. For example, Mr. F.S. Lincoln, a New York photographer hired to compile a photographic portfolio of restored Williamsburg buildings for a special issue of the "Architectural Record" in 1935, also created colorized lantern slides of his photos for sale in Williamsburg shops. The Peter Hornbeck Lantern Slide Collection contains numerous examples of these early souvenir images.
A precursor of 35mm slides, lantern slides are large format positive transparencies, usually 3.25 x 4 inches, sandwiched between two pieces of glass. Many were hand-colored. A projector allowed the slides to be viewed on a wall or screen. Instead of automatically advancing from one slide to the next, the lantern slides had to be manually placed into a slot on the projector.
Invented in 1848, lantern slides evolved from those associated with magic lanterns in the late nineteenth-century to the format represented in this collection. Between 1848-1870, oil lamps served as the light source for magic lantern projectors. By the 1890s, the carbon arc lamp offered a better lighting method. The introduction of electricity in the twentieth-century allowed the projection of lantern slides to become common in schools and universities. Lantern slides became obsolete in the 1950s when the Kodachrome three-color process brought about the introduction of 35mm slides.
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
Lantern Slide
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image.
3.25 x 4 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/.
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Peter Hornbeck Lantern Slides Collection, AV-2000.9, Box 1
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
HLS-49
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Title
A name given to the resource
Nightingale House, Williamsburg, Virginia
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
A.D. Handy Co.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Lantern slides - Hand-colored - 1930-1940
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Architecture, Domestic - Virginia - Williamsburg
William Lightfoot House (Williamsburg, Va.)
Block 11. Building 14.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Circa 1930s
Description
An account of the resource
Post-restoration view of the William Lightfoot House, once known as the Nightingale House. Yorktown merchant William Lightfoot constructed the dwelling to serve as a town home during visits to Williamsburg to participate in the Governor's Council. Later occupants enlarged the house to include an east wing and front porch, both of which were removed during the building's restoration in 1931.
A. D. Handy Company
Balustrades
Chimneys
Chinoiserie
Colonial Architecture
Domestic Architecture
Dormer Windows
Gambrel Roofs
Glass Transparencies
Lantern Slides
Nightingale House
Peter Hornbeck
Shutters
Stairs
Virginia
Weatherboarding
William Lightfoot House
Williamsburg
-
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cf8d1139f2b115923d796054e9e27262
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" 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
William Lightfoot House
Subject
The topic of the resource
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
William Lightfoot House (Williamsburg, Va.)
Block 11. Building 14
Architecture, Domestic - Virginia - Williamsburg
Description
An account of the resource
Pre-restoration view of the north façade of the William Lightfoot House (formerly Nightingale House), Williamsburg, Virginia. The Norfolk Café is visible to the left.
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, 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-26
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Balusters
Chimneys
Clapboard Siding
Domestic Architecture
Earl Gregg Swem
Gambrel Roofs
Nightingale House
Norfolk Cafe
Porches
Restaurants
Shutters
Virginia
William Lightfoot House
Williamsburg
-
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bc9516b8ed531bb398887d151126edff
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 Clyde Holmes Photograph Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Public buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
Architecture, Domestic - Virginia - Williamsburg
Black and white photographs
Holmes, Clyde E., 1902-1977
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Holmes, Clyde
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Circa 1928-1932
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Description
An account of the resource
“Since 1924, a young man in Williamsburg, Mr. Clyde Holmes, has been collecting newspaper clippings and taking photographs in connection with the Restoration. This man has apparently all the newspaper write-ups that appeared in the local papers touching the Restoration from the time Dr. Goodwin first attempted to have someone buy the town in 1924; he also has from two to three thousand photographs he has taken of the various buildings and streets in Williamsburg before and after the Restoration began.”
Letter, Vernon Geddy to Perry, Shaw & Hepburn, July 29, 1930, Colonial Williamsburg Corporate Archives
The Clyde Holmes Photograph Collection originated with Clyde Holmes, a long-term Williamsburg resident with a passion for history. His employment at the Imperial Theater on Duke of Gloucester Street helped to develop his interest in film and photography. As noted in the quote above, Holmes drew inspiration from the early efforts of Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church, to convince both townspeople and wealthy philanthropists to support preservation of dilapidated structures with ties to the days when Williamsburg was a bustling colonial capital. Goodwin first approached Henry Ford in 1924 with the idea of funding preservation of certain Williamsburg buildings. Undaunted by Ford’s refusal, Goodwin pitched his ideas to John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who agreed to finance restoration of the colonial segment of Williamsburg in 1927. He authorized hiring Perry, Shaw, & Hepburn, a Boston architectural firm, to begin drafting preliminary plans. Once approved, the firm assembled a team of architects and draftsmen who started what local residents jokingly termed a second “Yankee invasion” in the late 1920s as they arrived in the area to study and measure existing buildings, uncover buried foundations, and conduct fieldwork at other colonial sites in the region.
After his photographic efforts came to the attention of this team, Todd & Brown, the firm hired to oversee much of the construction work connected with the Restoration, encouraged Holmes by asking him to assist them with taking “before” photos of various sites. He also took a few to document early progress with archaeological and architectural investigations. While lacking the superior quality of contract photographers hired to aid the team, his amateur photos were recognized early on as having significant value as a working archive of the town’s pre-restoration appearance. Clyde Holmes cooperated with and supported the restoration effort by turning over his collection of clippings and photographs in 1933.
Dating from ca. 1924-1933, his photos capture the birth of the idea of Williamsburg as a tourist destination. Automobiles, a hotel, a souvenir shop, and Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities sites all attest to growing activity in the town as it stood on the brink of transformation into a laboratory for one of the nation’s earliest historic preservation campaigns. Examples of lost architecture that was either soon to be moved or torn down to make way for reconstruction of colonial buildings are also well represented in the collection.
Holmes donated his photos in a bound fire insurance volume. Adhered to the pages with glue, the photos have since been removed for optimal preservation but still await further conservation treatment to remove residual paper backings. Quite a few of the Holmes images were copied by restoration contract photographers and mounted on linen for insertion into albums used on a daily basis by the architectural team. The visible stains, tears, and creases bear witness to the role this group of photos played in providing visual evidence that guided restoration and reconstruction work.
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.
5 x 7 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
William Lightfoot House
Subject
The topic of the resource
Historic buildings - Virginia - Williamsburg
William Lightfoot House (Williamsburg, Va.)
Block 11. Building 14.
Architecture, Domestic - Virginia - Williamsburg
Description
An account of the resource
Pre-restoration view looking southwest of the north façade of the William Lightfoot House (formerly known as the Nightingale House), Williamsburg, Virginia, circa 1928.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Holmes, Clyde
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Circa 1928
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
Circa 1928
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Clyde Holmes Photograph Collection, AV2009.25, Box 1, Folder 2, Sheet 28
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
H229, Print Hol-106
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Special Collections, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Balustrades
Chimneys
Clapboard Siding
Clyde Holmes
Gambrel Roofs
Nightingale House
Porches
Pre-Restoration
Shutters
Virginia
William Lightfoot House
Williamsburg