COLLECTION GUIDES

Massachusetts Historical Society Archives Photographs

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1855-2004

Guide to the Photograph Collection


Collection Summary

Creator: Massachusetts Historical Society
Title: Massachusetts Historical Society Archives photographs
Dates: 1855-2004
Physical Description: 855 photographs, 45 color slides, and film negatives in 6 boxes and 1 oversize box
Call Number: Photo. Coll. 21
Repository:
Massachusetts Historical Society
1154 Boylston StreetBoston, MA 02215library@masshist.org

Abstract

Archival photographs relating to the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Sources

Tucker, Louis Leonard. The Massachusetts Historical Society: A Bicentennial History 1791-1991 (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1995).

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Collection Description

The Massachusetts Historical Society Archives photographs document the history and activities of the MHS from approximately 1855 to 2004. Included in the collection are photographs of officers, staff, and members; meetings and other events; collections; and buildings associated with the Society. Photographers represented in the collection include David Bohl, George M. Cushing, Alfred Eisenstaedt, and Charles Stearns, among others.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

I. MHS buildings, 1791-1899

Between 1791 and 1899, the MHS inhabited six locations in downtown Boston. From 1791-1792, the Society was located in the building of the Massachusetts Bank (formerly known as the Manufactory House) at what is now the corner of Hamilton Place and Tremont Street. From 1792 to 1794, the Society moved to rented quarters in the northwest corner of the attic of Faneuil Hall. Charles Bulfinch's Tontine Crescent on Franklin Street (demolished in 1858) served as the headquarters from 1794 to 1833. The fourth and fifth homes of the Society were on Tremont Street, adjacent to King's Chapel Burial Ground. From 1833 to 1872, the Society was located in the second floor and attic of the Provident Institution for Savings building, which it purchased in 1856. In 1873, the Society constructed a new five-story building on the site, leasing the ground floor to the Suffolk County Probate Office and Registry of Deeds and occupying the rest of the building until 1897. In 1897, the Society sold this building to the city of Boston and moved to temporary quarters at 73 Tremont St. until the completion of its new headquarters in 1899.

Box 1Folder 1#21.01-21.05
Massachusetts Bank buildingCopy photographs of engravings and 3 engravings.
Box 1Folder 2#21.06
Tontine Crescent, 1855Photographer unidentified.
Box 1Folder 3#21.07-21.09
Tontine CrescentEngravings and halftones.
OS Box 1Folder 1#21.813
Tontine Crescent, Franklin Place, Boston, 1898Produced by the Iconographic Society.Etching.
OS Box 1Folder 1#21.814
Tontine Crescent, 1902Halftone reproduction of image 21.06, published in the Boston Budget, 1902.
Box 1Folder 4#21.10
28-30 Tremont Street, 1847Lithographed sheet music cover.

Boston Museum and first Tremont Street building.

Box 1Folder 5#21.11-21.16
30 Tremont StreetReproductions and graphics.

First Tremont St. headquarters of the MHS.

OS Box 1Folder 2#21.815
30 Tremont StreetArtist unidentified.Pen-and-ink sketch.

First Tremont St. headquarters.

Box 1Folder 6#21.17-21.18
28-30 Tremont St., 1868Photographer unidentified.Stereoviews.
Box 1Folder 7#21.19-21.20
28-30 Tremont St., 1868#21.20 is a 1928 copy print.
Box 1Folder 8#21.21
30 Tremont St., 1840Taken by Samuel Bemis.Copy photograph of an 1840 daguerreotype.
Box 1Folder 9#21.22
30 Tremont St., ca. 1872Taken by William T. Clark.
Box 1Folder 10#21.23
30 Tremont St., 1872 or 1873Photographer unidentified.
Box 1Folder 11#21.24a-b
30 Tremont St., 4 Apr. 1899Taken by William H. Drew.
OS Box 1Folder 2 #21.816-21.817
28-30 Tremont St.Photographers unidentified.
Box 1Folder 12#21.25a-b
30 Tremont St., ca. 1903-1904Photographer unidentified.

II. 1154 Boylston Street, 1899-2004

On 9 March 1899, the members of the Massachusetts Historical Society gathered at 1154 Boylston St. for the first meeting in their new headquarters. Designed by Edmund March Wheelwright, formerly Boston's city architect, the building was described in the newspapers of the day as an "Ornament to Boston" and "one of the most beautiful of modern buildings." This series comprises exterior and interior views of the building, as well as photographs of major construction projects that took place in 1970 and 1999-2004.

A. Neighborhood and exterior views

Box 1Folder 13#21.26
New building of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 9 Mar. 1899Taken by George M. Cushing.Photograph of illustration from the Boston Herald.
Box 1Folder 13#21.27
New building of the Massachusetts Historical Society, ca. 1901Taken by George M. Cushing.Copy photograph from unknown source.
Box 1Folder 13#21.28
Hotel Carlton [now Berklee College of Music], with 1154 Boylston St. visibleTaken by George M. Cushing.Photograph of a postcard.
Box 1Folder 14#21.29a-b
Boylston Street from the front of the MHS, Mar. 1929Taken by Robert H. Pearman.
Box 1Folder 15#21.30a-b
Site of Hotel Carlton from back windows of MHS, Aug. 1910Taken by Charles Stearns. Copy photograph (21.29b) taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 1Folder 15#21.31a-b
Hotel Somerset, taken from Waterston Room, Oct. 1903Taken by Charles Stearns. Copy photograph (21.30b) taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 1Folder 15#21.32a-b
1154 Boylston St., taken from roof of the Studio Building, Ipswich St., Oct. 1905Taken by Charles Stearns. Copy photograph (21.31b) taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 1Folder 16#21.33-21.35
Hemenway Apartments, Oct. 1973Taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 1Folder 17#21.36
1154 Boylston St., ca. 1900Photographer unidentified.
Box 1Folder 18#21.37
1154 Boylston St., ca. 1910Photographer unidentified.
Box 1Folder 19#21.38
1154 Boylston St., 1917Taken by R. H. Pearman.
Box 1Folder 20#21.38
1154 Boylston St., ca. 1917Taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 1Folder 21#21.39
1154 Boylston St., June 1930Taken by George Brayton.
Box 1Folder 22 #21.41-21.43
1154 Boylston St., ca. 1932#21.42 taken by C. P. Shepardson; others taken by an unidentified photographer.
Box 1Folder 23#21.44-21.45
1154 Boylston St., 1949Taken by George M. Cushing, Jr.
Box 1Folder 24#21.46
1154 Boylston St., 1984Taken by David Bohl.
Box 1Folder 25#21.47-21.48
1154 Boylston St., 1991Taken by David Bohl.#21.48 is a color photograph.

B. Interior views

Box 1Folder 26#21.49a-b
Conservation lab, basement, 1984Taken by David Bohl.
Box 1Folder 27#21.50a-b
Lobby, [1899]Photographer unidentified.
Box 1Folder 28#21.51-21.54
Lobby, 1960Taken by George Cushing.
Box 1Folder 29#21.55a-b
Lobby, looking toward street, 1984Taken by David Bohl.
Box 1Folder 30#21.56-21.57
Room 101 (Seminar Room), 1960Taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 1Folder 31#21.58
Room 103 (Orientation Room), 1899Photographer unidentified.
Box 1Folder 32#21.59
Ellis Hall, mantel, 1899Photographer unidentified.Negative print.
Box 1Folder 33#21.60a-b
Ellis Hall, 1917Taken by R. H. Pearman.
Box 1Folder 34#21.61-21.62
Ellis Hall, Apr. 1925Taken by R. H. Pearman.
Box 1Folder 35#21.63-21.65
Ellis Hall, 1960Taken by George M. Cushing.
OS Box 1Folder 3#21.818
Ellis Hall, 1960Taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 1Folder 36#21.66-21.67
Ellis Hall, [1960]Taken by David F. Lawlor.
Box 1Folder 37#21.68
Ellis Hall, 1991Taken by David Bohl.
Box 1Folder 38#21.69
Catalog Room, 1984Taken by David Bohl.
Box 1Folder 39#21.70a-b
Room 201 (Red Room), 1902Taken by Charles Stearns.
Box 1Folder 40#21.71a-c
Room 201, 1920Photographer unidentified.
Box 1Folder 41#21.72a-b
Room 201, with council members around table, 1954Taken by Alfred Eisenstadt for Life magazine.
Box 1Folder 42#21.73
Room 201, 1984Taken by David Bohl.
Box 1Folder 43#21.74
Second floor stair lobby, ca. 1949Taken by David F. Lawlor.
Box 1Folder 44#21.75a-b
Room 205 (Oliver Room), 1960Taken by George M. Cushing.
OS Box 1Folder 3#21.819
Room 205 (Oliver Room), 1960Taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 1Folder 45#21.76a-b
Dowse Library, ca. 1857By H. Billings & H. Wright Smith.Engraving.
Box 1Folder 46#21.77a-b
Dowse Library, 1917Taken by R. H. Pearman.
Box 1Folder 47#21.78
Dowse Library, 1984Taken by David Bohl.
Box 1Folder 48#21.79
Room N-205 (old Special Libraries stacks), 1984Taken by David Bohl.
Box 1Folder 49#21.80-21.82
Third floor landing decorative paintingPhotographer unidentified.
Box 1Folder 50#21.83
Fifth floor stacks, 1984Taken by David Bohl.
OS Box 1Folder 3#21.820-21.823
1154 Boylston Street, 1899Taken by H. H. Sidman.Plates from American Architect and Building News.

C. Construction photographs, 1970-2004

Box 2Folder 1#21.84-21.91
Rear of MHS building prior to construction of Shattuck Wing, [1970]Taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 2Folder 2#21.92-21.98
Groundbreaking for construction of Shattuck Wing, 27 Apr. 1970Taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 2Folder 3-6#21.99-21.143
Construction of Shattuck Wing, [1970-1971]Photographer unidentified.Color photographs.
Box 6#21.856-21.901
Construction of Shattuck Wing, [1970-1971]Photographer unidentified.Color slides.
Box 2Folder 7#21.144-21.151
MHS roof and balcony, [ca. 1997]Photographer unidentified.Color snapshots.
Box 2Folder 8-10#21.152-21.193
Construction of ramp, [1999]Photographer(s) unidentified.Color and black-and-white snapshots.
Box 2Folder 11-16#21.194-21.413
Interior construction projects, [2000-2004]Photographer(s) unidentified.Color and black-and-white snapshots.
Box 2Folder 17-19#21.414-21.441
Contact sheets of construction images, [1999-2004]Photographer(s) unidentified.
OS Box 1Folder 4-20#21.824-21.840
Contact sheets of construction images, [1999]Photographer(s) unidentified.
Box 2Folder 20-21#21.442-21.466
First floor renovations, Feb. 2001Taken by Don Farrell.Color snapshots.

First floor rooms after renovations.

Box 2Folder 22#21.467-21.478
Post-renovation interiors, 2001-2004Taken by Peter Vanderwarker.Color photographs.

III. MHS functions, 1941-2002

This series comprises photographs taken at public events of the Massachusetts Historical Society, including afternoon meetings, annual meetings, spring receptions, and annual dinners.

OS Box 1Folder 30#21.851a-c
150th Anniversary Banquet, 24 Apr. 1941Taken by Thomas A. Slater.#21.851c is a negative print with identifications supplied in ink.
Box 3Folder 1#21.479-21.514
Meeting of the Society in the Dowse Library, [1950s]Photographer unidentified.Black and white snapshots.
Box 3Folder 2#21.515-21.531
Meeting of the Society, 1954Taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt for Life magazine.
Box 3Folder 3-4#21.532-21.555
Adams Papers reception, 22 Sep. 1961Taken by George M. Cushing.

This meeting was held 22 September 1961 to celebrate the publication of four volumes of the Diary and Autobiography of John Adams. Speakers included Lyman H. Butterfield, Thomas James Wilson, Paul Herman Buck, Julian Parks Boyd, and Samuel Flagg Bemis.

Box 3Folder 5#21.556
Party for Clifford K. Shipton, Apr. 1963Taken by Philip N. Preston for the Boston Globe.

Photograph of Mr. & Mrs. Clifford K. Shipton, Thomas Boylston Adams, and Stephen T. Riley.

Box 3Folder 6#21.557-21.558
Spring reception, 1963Taken by Geo. Saito.

Photographs of Malcolm Freiberg & Barbara (Mrs. Endicott) Peabody.

Box 3Folder 7#21.559-21.569
Meeting in Ellis Hall, 1966 or 1967Photographer unidentified.
Box 3Folder 8#21.570-21.574
Visit of Russian churchmen, Mar. 1975Taken by J. Robert Nelson.Color snapshots.
Box 3Folder 9#21.575-21.587
Afternoon meeting, 10 May 1990Photographer unidentified.
Box 3Folder 10-12#21.588-21.615
Bicentennial banquet, 17 May 1991Taken by Alan Kidawski.

Those photographed include Peter Gomes, Henry Lee, Thomas Boylston Adams, Oscar Handlin, Bernard Bailyn, Pauline Maier, and Edward M. Kennedy.

Box 3Folder 13-14#21.616-21.636
Witness to America's Past, Apr.-Aug. 1991Taken by the Museum of Fine Arts.

Photographs from the Society's bicentennial exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts.

Box 3Folder 15#21.637-21.640
Annual dinner, 5 Nov. 1998Taken by Alan Kidawski.Contact sheets only.

Those photographed include Robert MacNeil (speaker), William Fowler, and Henry Lee.

Box 3Folder 16#21.641-21.675
Annual dinner, 10 Oct. 2002Photographer unidentified.Color transparencies and contact sheet only.

Those photographed include George H. W. Bush (speaker), David McCullough, William Fowler, and Amalie Kass.

IV. MHS collections items

Box 4Folder 1#21.676
Adams family sealsTaken by George M. Cushing.
Box 4Folder 2#21.677
Dowse Library tableTaken by Dadmun Co., Boston.
Box 4Folder 3#21.678-21.681
MHS printed and microform publications and manuscript stacks, 1984Taken by David Bohl.
Box 4Folder 4#21.682
Wetmore manuscripts, ca. 1915Taken by R. H. Pearman.
OS Box 1Folder 21#21.841-21.844
MHS artifacts, 1954Taken by Alfred Eisenstadt for Life magazine.

Photographs of Emancipation Proclamation pen with bronze hands of Lincoln; Charles Sumner's Senate chair (2); and the Edes family punch bowl.

V. MHS members, officers, and staff, 1855-

A. Individual portraits

Box 4Folder 5#21.683
John Adams, Nov. 1953Taken by Thomas B. Hollyman for Holiday magazine.
OS Box 1Folder 31#21.852
Lyman H. ButterfieldPhotographer unidentified.
OS Box 1Folder 31#21.853
Lyman H. Butterfield and Wendell GarrettPhotographer unidentified.
Box 4Folder 6#21.684-21.685
Malcolm Freiberg, 1960s
Box 4Folder 7#21.686-21.696
Stephen T. Riley, ca. 1954-1976
Box 4Folder 8#21.697
Rebecca Scott, 1999
Box 4Folder 9#21.698
Louis Leonard Tucker
Box 4Folder 10#21.699
Warren Wheeler, Nov. 1948

B. Group portraits, 1854-1997

Box 4Folder 11#21.700
Delegates from the MHS to the Semi-Centennial Celebration of the New York Historical Society, 20 Nov. 1854Photographer unidentified.

Shown: William P. Lunt, Robert C. Winthrop, and George E. Ellis.

Box 4Folder 12#21.701-21.702
Group of members of the Massachusetts Historical Society, May 1855Taken by J. A. Whipple.Reduced copy and later heliotype copy.
OS Box 1Folder 22-24#21.845a-c
Group of members of the Massachusetts Historical Society, May 1855Taken by J. A. Whipple.2 original prints and a reduced mounted copy.

Copy 21.845a was given by the photographer.

Box 4Folder 13#21.703
Group of members of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 11 Aug. 1858Photographer unidentified.

Photograph taken at Frederic Tudor's home in Nahant, Mass.

Box 4Folder 13#21.704
Meeting of the Massachusetts Historical Association [sic], 11 Aug. 1858Published by American Stereoscopic Co., Philadelphia.
OS Box 1Folder 25-26#21.846-21.847
Group of members of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 11 Aug. 1858Photographer unidentified.

Photographs taken at Frederic Tudor's home in Nahant, Mass.

Box 4Folder 14#21.705
Members of the MHS at the home of Robert C. Winthrop, 10 June 1869Photographer unidentified.
OS Box 1Folder 27-29#21.848-21.850
Members of the MHS at the home of Robert C. Winthrop, 10 June 1869Photographer unidentified.
Box 4Folder 15#21.706-21.713
MHS staff watching the Hindenburg from the roof of 1154 Boylston St., 9 Oct. 1936Photographer unidentified.
Box 4Folder 16#21.714-21.718
Visit of MHS staff and members to Peter Oliver's estate, Middleborough, Mass., [1950s?]Photographer unidentified.Black and white snapshots.
Box 4Folder 17#21.719
MHS staff, 1950Photographer unidentified.

Shown: [Mr.] Oatley, Warren Wheeler, Winifred V. Collins, Marjorie Bruce, Stewart Mitchell, Augusta Hitchcock, Isabelle Davis, and Stephen T. Riley.

Box 4Folder 18#21.720-21.730
Party at Stephen T. Riley's home, 12 Sep. 1959Photographer unidentified.Snapshots.
Box 4Folder 19#21.731
Appointment of Richard W. Hale as Archivist of the Commonwealth, 1961Photographer unidentified.

Shown: Clifford K. Shipton, Robert E. Moody, Kevin H. White, Lyman H. Butterfield, Richard W. Hale, Walter M. Whitehill, Malcolm Freiberg, and Stephen T. Riley.

Box 4Folder 20#21.732-21.733
MHS staff unpacking George F. Hoar papers, Nov. 1961Taken by George M. Cushing, Jr.

Shown: Stephen T. Riley, Wendell Garrett, John Cushing, Lyman Butterfield, Malcolm Freiberg, and Warren Wheeler.

Box 4Folder 21#21.734
Adams Papers staff, 1966Photographer unidentified.

Shown: Glynn Marini, Marc Friedlander, Lynne G. Crane, Lyman Butterfield, and Susan F. Riggs.

Box 4Folder 22#21.735-21.741
Stephen T. Riley's retirement party, 29 Dec. 1976Taken by George M. Cushing.
Box 4Folder 23#21.742
Douglas Cochrane & William Davis Taylor with logbook and scale model of the Columbia, 19 July 1982Taken by Ted Dully.
Box 4Folder 24#21.743
Adams Papers staff, 1984Taken by David Bohl.

Shown: Celeste Walker, Gregg Lint, and Joanna Revelas.

Box 4Folder 25#21.744-21.746
MHS director and Council, 1990Taken by Roger Farrington.

Shown: Louis L. Tucker, James Barr Ames, Thomas Boylston Adams, F. Douglas Cochrane, Henry Lee, and others.

OS Box 1Folder 32#21.854
Presidents of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1990Taken by Roger Farrington.

Shown: James Barr Ames, Thomas Boylston Adams, F. Douglas Cochrane, and Henry Lee.

Box 4Folder 26#21.747-21.748
MHS staff Christmas party, 1997Photographer unidentified.
OS Box 1Folder 33#21.855a-c
MHS staff Christmas party, 1997Photographer unidentified.
Box 4Folder 27#21.749
MHS director and councilTaken by David Bohl.Contact sheet.

VI. Images used in MHS publications

Box 4Folder 28#21.750-21.762
Discovery of America, 1975Photographer unidentified.
Box 4Folder 29#21.763-21.778
Pro Bono Publico: the Shattucks of Boston, 1971Taken by G. M. Cushing.
Box 4Folder 30#21.779-21.795
Sibley's Harvard Graduates
Box 4Folder 31#21.796-21.812
Stephen Thomas Riley, the Years of Stewardship, 1976Taken by G. M. Cushing.

VII. Film negatives

Negatives for many of the photographs in this collection. These are arranged into the series established above, but have not been individually enumerated.

Box 5
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Preferred Citation

Massachusetts Historical Society Archives photographs, Massachusetts Historical Society.

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Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.

Persons:

Bohl, J. David, photographer.
Cushing, George M., photographer.
Eisenstaedt, Alfred, photographer.
Pearman, Robert H., photographer.
Stearns, Charles, photographer.

Organizations:

Massachusetts Historical Society--Buildings--Photographs.
Massachusetts Historical Society--History--Photographs.

Subjects:

Boston (Mass.)--Buildings, structures, etc.--Photographs.
History--Societies, etc.--Massachusetts--Boston--Photographs.

Collection processed by Mary Yacovone, April 2022.

Encoded by Mary Yacovone, May 2022.