Post on 13-Jul-2015
Colonial
Williamsburg’s
Photo Archives:
A Hidden Resource with Broader Potential
Marianne Martin
Colonial Williamsburg FoundationApril 2012
Decorative ArtsDeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum
Masterworks Gallery
Folk ArtAbby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum
The Quilting Party, America, probably 1854-1875
Promotional Photography
Bill Barker as
Thomas Jefferson
Costumed Interpreters,
Duke of Gloucester St.
Archaeological Artifacts
Chowning’s Tavern dinnerware, fragments & reproduction
Exhibition Buildings
Governor’s Palace Wigmaker’s Shop
Educational Programming
Costumed interpreters participating in “So Far from Scioto” program
Hidden Gems
Winston Churchill & Dwight D. Eisenhowerat the Raleigh Tavern, March 8, 1946
Shirley Temple at WilliamsburgInn, 1938
Role of Photo Archives
Answering questions about historic structures
Documenting archaeological artifacts and
excavations
Providing material culture for analysis by
curators
Augmenting evidence presented in typical
18th-century formats
Recording the Foundation’s activities
Birth of Photo Archives
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. examining plans and photos with the Rev.
W.A.R. Goodwin and others
Bodleian Plate, ca.1740 Aerial Photo, 1927
Preliminary Plan, 1927
Pre-Restoration & Progress Photos
Pre-Restoration View
Duke of Gloucester St.
John Blair House,
Restoration Progress
Core Historical Archive
Construction progress on
King’s Arms Barber Shop
Duke of Gloucester St.,
Williamsburg, Virginia
1928
F.S. Lincoln
Collection
Bar Room, Raleigh Tavern
Ballroom Wing,
Governor’s Palace
Audiovisual Services Department
Examples of “Hidden Gems”
International Relations
Era of Segregation in Williamsburg
Blue Laws in Virginia
Film History
World War II Era Williamsburg
Hiroshima Maidens
Nicolae Ceausescu
President of Romania
Era of Segregation
Bruton Heights
School
“White City”
African-American Life
Albert Durant Photography Collection
World War II Williamsburg
Mr. & Mrs. Rockefeller with
soldiers at the USO
Troops from Camp Peary
entering Williamsburg Theater
Bottle Clubs in Virginia
Golden Horseshoe Club
Williamsburg Inn
Traditional Library Clientele
Museum Curators
Architectural Historians
Archaeologists
Historians
Costumed Interpreters
Product Managers
New Collaborations:
Music of Williamsburg
Production still from “Music of Williamsburg”
Alan Lomax Photos
Issues Raised by Collaboration
Copyright Compliance
Mounting Photos on Class Website
Limited Use Agreement
Outcomes of CollaborationStudent research findings added to our
library’s holdings
Exchange of information with Lomax
Archive in New York
Publicity for the archive via publications
Student M.A. thesis topic
Class Publications
Williamsburg Documentary
Project
Student Projects
Grocery Stores & Restaurants
Entertainment & Night Life
Public School Systems
Film History
Movies Filmed in Williamsburg
Grocery Stores
Restaurants
Entertainment
Night Life
Public Schools
History & Memory in the Urban Landscape
Archives as repositories of city history
Examination of pre-restoration views
of Williamsburg
Comparison with more current city views
Effects of restoration on city’s growth
Outcomes of Collaboration
Photos shared with greater college
community via internal intranet site
Oral histories conducted by students
compliment our holdings
Student web exhibits archived via D-Space
at Swem Library, College of William & Mary
Challenges with Online Access
African-American Life
Reunion Groups
Golden Horseshoe Bottle Club
At the Movies in Williamsburg
Rev. W.A.R. Goodwin & guests outside the Williamsburg Theatre, ca. 1932
Bruton Heights School
Reunions
Summary of Collaboration Benefits
New findings/documentation about photos
Publicity for photo archive via student or
community group projects
Increased classroom use of images
Highlights need for Internet accessible
image database
Researchers interacting with photos in
new ways
CONTENTdm Pilot Project
Web-Based Finding Aids
More Hidden Gems
Tanks on Duke
of Gloucester St. World War II Soldiers in Pillory
Hillside Café
Acknowledgements
With special thanks to the following:
Cathy Grosfils, former Visual Resources Editorial
Librarian
Jenna Simpson, Ph.D. candidate, College
of William & Mary
Photographic Services Department, The
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Doug Mayo & George Yetter, Special Collections
Department
Contact Information
Marianne Martin
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
P.O. Box 1776
Williamsburg, VA 23187-1776
Phone: 757-565-8542
Email: mmartin@cwf.org