1898-1927; bulk: 1900-1908
Guide to the Collection
Abstract
This collection consists of photographs, primarily of Boston, taken by photographer T. E. Marr and his son Arthur E. Marr.
Biographical Sketches
Thomas Edgar Marr was born in Nova Scotia in 1849 and emigrated to the United States in the 1860s. He first appears in Boston directories in 1871 as a "photographist," and from 1874-1881 is listed as an employee of other Boston photographers. In 1881, Marr was charged with embezzlement by Eugene A. Holton, whose employ he had just quitted, although a settlement was reached before the case went to trial. In 1883, Marr is listed as an artist working and living at 777 Washington St. producing crayon portraits and retouching photographs, but by 1899 he had changed his occupation to photographer. His work comprised photographs for private clients of architecture, gardens, and artwork and of buildings, street scenes, and other topics for publication in books, newspapers, and magazines.
Marr and his wife Margaret had one son, Arthur Edgar Marr, who joined him in the photography business as early as 1900. After the elder Marr's death in 1910, Arthur changed the name of the firm to T. E. Marr & Son and continued the business under that name until 1942. According to directory listings, Arthur may have continued as a photographer for several more years before his death in March of 1954.
Sources
Polito, Ron. T. E. Marr (& Son): Isabella Stewart Gardner's Photographers—and More. Their Lives, Their Work, Their Photographic Techniques Waltham: Photographic History Society of New England, 2021.
Collection Description
This collection consists of photographs of Boston buildings, street scenes, and bird's eye views, mostly taken between 1900 and 1908. Most are signed on the print "T. E. Marr" or "T. E. Marr & Son" and identified on the verso by the photographer. The collection also includes a small number of photographs taken in the nearby towns of Arlington, Charlestown, and Roxbury.
Arrangement Note
Arranged alphabetically by street or name of building; locations other than Boston are filed at end.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Paul Sullivan, January 2026
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Boston street scenes
Appleton St., English High School, 3 March 1905
Beacon St., Congregational House, 1898
Beacon St., Somerset Club, 1918
Beacon St., #45 W. A. Wardsworth house, 11 August 1906
Beacon St. at Clarendon, looking east, 1899
Bedford St., July 1901
Depicting carpenter's shop operated by C. D. Morris.
Boston Common, 21 November 1908
"Showing a sea of the old derby hats ... watching bulletin board, Boston Herald, Harvard-Yale football game."
Boylston St. at Boylston Place, September 1901
Building housing Bourne Pianos, New England Piano Co., Guild Piano Mfg. Co., and the Berlitz School of languages.
Boylston St. near Tremont, Grand Army of the Republic Parade, 16 August 1904
Boylston St. from corner of Tremont & Boylston
Boylston St., #116-120, [September 1901].
The "Walker Building" housing D. C. Heath, W. A. Wilde, & A. P. Schmidt publishers and several piano dealers, including A. M. McPhail, Chandler W. Smith, and New England Piano.
Boylston St. from the roof of the Masonic Temple, 1900
View of a circus parade with elephants.
Boylston St., Rogers Building, 2 March 1905
Boylston St. at Clarendon, the Walker Building, 6 March 1905
Boylston St., Massachusetts Historical Society building, 1898
Bromfield St., July 1901
45-59 Bromfield St., showing Arthur W. Hubbard pictures & frames store and Tremont Market.
Bromfield St. at Washington, looking north, 16 February 1908
Charles St., Charlesbank Gymnasium for Men, 2 March 1905
Commonwealth Ave. mall
Commonwealth Pier
Copley Square, 1900
Court St., City Hall annex, after 1912
Dartmouth St. Railroad Station, 1898
Devonshire St., #72
Eliot St., 5 May 1920
"Eliot St. ... before it was made into Stuart St."
Essex St.
Showing Hotel Essex, Eclipse Tanning Co., S. Rosenberg shoes, Alden B. Sleeper Leather Co. & E. G. & E. Wallace storefronts.
Franklin St., Rand Avery building, 16 August 1907
[Hanover St., #387]
Showing interior of medical office belonging to Frank R. Lentine.
Harvard Bridge, from Cambridge looking toward Boston, 1898
Harvard Bridge, from Cambridge looking toward Boston, 7 August 1905
Hemenway St. at Westland
Depicting the Johnson Gates.
Longfellow Bridge, 19 August 1908
Massachusetts Ave., Horticultural Hall, undated & 14 December 1904
Massachusetts Ave., Symphony Hall, undated & 29 September 1903
Milk St., Oliver building
Milk St., Penn Mutual building, ca. 1903
Newbury St. at Arlington St., 1912
Newbury St. at Clarendon St., 26 November 1898
North Square, Paul Revere House, 1909
North Station, 23 March 1902
Perkins Institute for the Blind, South Boston, 3 March 1905
Providence St., #97, ca. 1904
Building of the Back Bay Printing Co. and Adams Express Co.
Province Court and Province Street, July 1901
School St., Boston City Hall, 28 May 1905
South Station, 23 March 1902
State House
State St., elevated railroad station
State St. at Congress St., 16 August 1907
State St., Board of Trade building, 12 March 1905
State St., #33 Washington Building, 12 March 1905
State Street looking toward Boston Harbor & East Boston, 1908
Tremont St. mall looking toward Park St. Church, November 1898
Tremont St., 22 January 1901
Crowds gathering around a water main break shooting water up out of the middle of the street.
Tremont St. at Beacon St., 3 August 1907
Storefront decorated for Old Home Week.
Tremont St. at Boylston St., "Little Building," 28 October 1927
Tremont St., New Studio Building
Washington St., Old South Meeting House
Washington St. at Winter St., Gilchrist's department store, 13 August 1908
Washington St., Washington Credit Co. building
II. Bird's eye views
View from Cornhill, looking east toward harbor, July 1901
View from State House dome looking East, 28 June 1907
View from State House dome looking toward Harbor, 28 June 1907
View from State House dome looking toward Tremont St., 28 June 1907
View from State House dome looking toward Cambridge, 28 June 1907
View from roof of building on Washington St. toward waterfront, 9 August 1904
View from roof of building on Washington St. looking north, 9 August 1904
View from roof of the Colonial Building (Boylston St.) over Boston Common, 14 August 1908
View from roof of building at the corner of Tremont & Boylston streets, looking over Boston Common, 1908
III. Non-Boston images and unidentified photographs
Arlington, Mass., Old Cooper Tavern
"From an old photo of the collection of the Sherburne family of Lexington, Mass. copy made in 1914."
Cape Cod windmill
Charlestown, Mass., Sullivan Square elevated rail station, 14 March 1905
Roxbury, Mass., Dillaway House, 6 March 1906
Roxbury, Mass., Dudley Street
Roxbury, Mass., St. Luke's Convalescent Home, 1906
Roxbury, Mass., Gen. Spooner house, 6 March 1906
Somerville, Mass., view from home of Charles H. North of North Packing Co. showing factories he owned, 1900
West Roxbury, Mass., West Roxbury High School, 30 November 1904
Train locomotive, location unknown
Unidentified building, likely Boston
Children on unidentified causeway
Unidentified house with boy sitting in foreground, two women, and a man closer to the house
Unidentified interior, perhaps a department store
Preferred Citation
Thomas E. Marr photographs of Boston and vicinity, Massachusetts Historical Society.
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.