navPhotographs
The graphic arts department holds a diverse collection of American photography ranging in date from the 1830s to the 1920s. The collection is primarily organized by process such as daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and cartes-de-visites. In addition, the Society's collection of photo albums is fully cataloged online in the General Catalog.
| Collection description | Sample image | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Ambrotypes |
 |
Approximately 150 depictions of people and places. A fully illustrated collection inventory is available. |
| Cartes-de-visite |
 |
About 5,000 photographs from the 1850s through the 1870s, with the majority dating from the 1860s. |
| Daguerreotypes |
 |
Nearly 230 daguerreotypes. A fully illustrated collection inventory is available. |
| Family Photographs |
 |
Collections of photographs assembled by families. |
| Photographs of Actors and Performers |
 |
Cabinet cards of actors and performers includes portraits of opera singers, actors, psychics, and musicians. A collection inventory is available. |
| Photographs of Native Americans |
 |
Over 200 images of individuals from thirty-nine tribes in several different formats, including stereographs, cabinet cards, and cartes-de-visite. |
| Photographs of Sculpture on American Gravestones |
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Over 10,000 photographs of American gravestones. |
| Photographs of Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Structures in Massachusetts taken 1887-1945 by Harriette Merrifield Forbes |
 |
853 negatives of seventeenth and eighteenth century structures throughout central and eastern Massachusetts photographed from 1887 to 1945 by Forbes. |
| Photographs of the New England Fair by B.T. Hill |
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Glass plate negatives taken by Benjamin Thomas Hill (1863-1927) at the Worcester County Agricultural Society's fairgrounds in the early decades of the 20th century. |
| Photographs of Tuskegee Institute |
 |
Fifty-six photographs depicting life in and around Tuskegee Institute, in Tuskegee, Alabama, ca. 1890-1915. A fully illustrated inventory is available. |
| Stereographs |
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Fifty to sixty thousand stereograph cards. |
| Theodor Clemens Wohlbrück Photographs |
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Several hundred glass plate negatives from Wohlbrück's studio, including images of the people and streets of Worcester, Mass. |
| Tintypes |
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Over 200 tintypes. A fully illustrated collection inventory is available. |
| Worcester Portrait Photographs |
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Over 1,200 images of prominent citizens of the city of Worcester, Mass. |
