Mary H. Northend photographic collection, 1904-1926

Description

The Mary H. Northend Photographic Collection is comprised of over 6,000 glass plate negatives in 8 x 10 and 5 x 7 inch sizes and several thousand photographic prints. Many of the negatives remain unprinted. The manuscript material, contained in 17 folders, is chiefly made up of typed articles and drafts of chapters of books that Northend used to submit to publishers. The items in the collection date from circa 1910 to the early 1930s.

Northend's work covered the Progressive Era from 1904 to 1926, from the perspective of a woman born before the Civil War who witnessed enormous transformations in society, and took a lively interest in the ways Americans coped with these changes. The subject matter depicted in the collection is eclectic, ranging from garages to tearooms, and covering architecture of many styles and periods, such as the bungalows of the early 1920s.

Some materials were acquired from the Halliday Historic Photograph Company and William T. Clark, which suggests that she may have operated a stock photo agency for historic and architectural views. The large majority of the prints are still in their original enclosures.

Sources: Gamble, Jeanne M. Surroundings of Inspiration: The Progressive Era through the Lens of Mary H. Northend, 1904-1926. 2008; Guide to the Library and Archives, 11; and Boston Globe, December 17, 1926, A8.