J. R. Hamrick photograph album, 1903-1946

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Summary

Creator:
Hamrick, J. R.
Abstract:
Bridge builder; resident of Staunton, Va. Collection comprises a photgraph album probably compiled by Hamrick, who built trestles and railroad bridges all over the South. Includes 339 photographs, including 333 black-and-white gelatin prints (possibly matte collodion prints), as well as 6 cyanotypes, primarily of concrete-and-metal bridges constructed in Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Alabama, as well as a few shots of construction sites in British Columbia. Many of the images, but not all, contain brief identifying markings made in pencil or pen on the surface of the photograph. Sizes range from 3"x2.5" to 4.5"x6.5, with several attempts by Hamrick to create "panoramic" views by pasting two images together. Large sections of the album are devoted to the Whitney and South Fork bridges in North Carolina, but topics generally include construction scenes in various stages of completion; work crews, engineers, and surveying teams; camps and homesteads used as residences, and family life there. The majority of the photographs date between 1903 and 1914, with only 3 shots dating from 1946. There are also images taken during excursions; for instance, to St. Augustine, Fla.; Mardi Gras in New Orleans (1906); and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis (1904). There are also unidentified groups of young people, including possibly a women's school, "Rockdale" (in Ga.?), as well as a few clearly marked images of parties and a football game at Virginia Polytechnical Institute.
Extent:
1 Linear Foot
Language:
Materials in English
Collection ID:
RL.00500

Background

Scope and content:

Collection comprises a photgraph album probably compiled by Hamrick, who built trestles and railroad bridges all over the South. Includes 339 photographs, including 333 black-and-white gelatin prints (possibly matte collodion prints), as well as 6 cyanotypes, primarily of concrete-and-metal bridges constructed in Mississippi, Louisiana, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Alabama, as well as a few shots of construction sites in British Columbia. Many of the images, but not all, contain brief identifying markings made in pencil or pen on the surface of the photograph. Sizes range from 3" x2.5" to 4.5" x6.5", with several attempts by Hamrick to create "panoramic" views by pasting two images together. Large sections of the album are devoted to the Whitney and South Fork bridges in North Carolina, but topics generally include construction scenes in various stages of completion; work crews, engineers, and surveying teams; camps and homesteads used as residences, and family life there. The majority of the photographs date between 1903 and 1914, with only 3 shots dating from 1946. There are also images taken during excursions; for instance, to St. Augustine, Fla.; Mardi Gras in New Orleans (1906); and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis (1904). There are also unidentified groups of young people, including possibly a women's school, "Rockdale" (in Ga.?), as well as a few clearly marked images of parties and a football game at Virginia Polytechnical Institute.

Biographical / historical:

Bridge builder; resident of Staunton, Va.

Acquisition information:
Purchase, 2009
Processing information:

Processed by: Alice Poffinberger, June 2010

Encoded by: Alice Poffinberger, June 2010

Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 2009-0106

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Subjects

Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.

Subjects:
Bridges -- Pictorial works
Railroad bridges -- Design and construction
Carnival
Railroad bridges -- Pictorial works
Bridges -- Alabama -- Design and construction -- History
Railroad bridges -- South Carolina -- Design and construction -- History
Railroad bridges -- Alabama -- Design and construction -- History
Bridges -- Design and construction
Railroad bridges -- Southern States -- Design and construction -- History
Bridges -- Southern States -- Design and construction -- History
Railroad bridges -- Southern States
Bridges -- Southern States
Railroad bridges -- Canada -- Design and construction -- History
Bridges -- Canada -- Design and construction -- History
Bridges -- Mississippi -- Design and construction -- History
Railroad bridges -- Mississippi -- Design and construction -- History
Bridges -- Louisiana -- Design and construction -- History
Railroad bridges -- Louisiana -- Design and construction -- History
Bridges -- Virginia -- Design and construction -- History
Railroad bridges -- Virginia -- Design and construction -- History
Bridges -- North Carolina -- Design and construction -- History
Railroad bridges -- North Carolina -- Design and construction -- History
Bridges -- South Carolina -- Design and construction -- History
Format:
Photograph albums
Black-and-white photographs
Cyanotypes
Gelatin silver prints
Names:
George Washington Flowers Collection of Southern Americana
Virginia Polytechnic Institute
Hamrick, J. R.
Hamrick, J. R.
Places:
New Orleans (La.) -- Pictorial works
Saint Augustine (Fla.) -- Pictorial works

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

All or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. The library may require up to 48 hours to retrieve these materials for research use.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], in the J. R. Hamrick photograph album, 1903-1946, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.