The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Creator:
Title: Collection
Dates: ca.1887-ca.1920
Call No.:
Acc. No.: 91x121
Quantity: 3 boxes
Location: 18 D 2
BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT
Roy Victory Thorpe was a photographer and
newspaper publisher in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He often worked with his father, Charles H.
Thorpe, in printing and publishing illustrated trade editions of newspapers. He began his photography career as an
apprentice to Gokay photographers in
SCOPE AND CONTENT
The collection
consists of forty-nine photographs taken by Thorpe in a studio, outdoors, and
in people's houses, and thirty-nine trade editions of newspapers as described
below.
Photographs in
the collection were taken by Thorpe in a studio, outdoors, and in people's
houses. The twenty-one studio shots are
portraits of family members, children, and young adults in their best
dress. In addition to the subjects,
studio props, wicker furniture, children's chairs, and background settings are
depicted. The twenty-one outdoor photos
show domestic architecture and street scenes in a small town in
turn-of-the-century
ORGANIZATION
The collection
is organized into six series of photographs (Thorpe family photos, photos taken
while an apprentice, tintypes, studio portraits, outdoor photos, and interior
scenes), plus a seventh series of newspapers.
PROVENANCE
Purchased from
Charles Apfelbaum.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Thorpe, Charles H. - Photographs.
Thorpe, Hattie B. -
Photographs.
Victory, C. H. -
Photographs.
Topics:
Newspapers
- Extra editions.
Architectural photography.
Indoor photography.
Close-up photography.
Portraits - Photographs.
Wicker furniture - Photographs.
Children - Costume.
Interior decoration - Photographs.
House furnishings - Photographs.
Dining room furniture -
Photographs.
Mourning customs -
Cities and towns -
History - Sources.
Store decoration.
Streets - Photographs.
Store fixtures.
Stores, Retail.
Commercial buildings -
Photographs.
Dwellings - Photographs.
Buildings - Photographs.
Storefronts -
Photographs.
Photoprints.
Newspapers.
Black-and-white
photographs.
Publishers.
Photographers.
Architectural
photographers.
Still photographers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 18 D 2
Series 1: Thorpe family photographs (all
in
.1
.2 Charles H. Thorpe, taken at the
.6 Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Victory, Died
.3 Bust of Hattie B. Thorpe in Victorian
dress.
.4 Informal interior shot of an older
woman and a boy (probably the nephew Roy V. Thorpe), showing fireplace and mantel
clock. Taken when Thorpe was an
apprentice at Gokay.
.5 Same interior from a different angle,
with a man and a woman. Taken while at
Gokay.
Series 3: Tintypes (in Box 1):
.7 Young girl standing beside a stool with
a padded cover and tassels hanging.
Series 4: Studio photographs of people
(all in Box 1):
Posed shots of children and young
adults in formal attire featuring studio props and settings. Many of the photos show wicker furniture and
children's chairs.
Folder
1: .8-.12
Folder
2: .13-.16
Folder
3: .17-.19
Folder
4: .20-.22
Series 5: Outdoor photographs (in Box 1
or 2, as noted below)
Photos feature domestic architecture
of public buildings and dwellings, and scenes of shopping areas in small town
turn of the century America.
Box 1:
.23 Caption: "Photo by Mr. T. Mrs.
Thorpe-Minnie Sceal-Mrs. Davis and Central House." On back: "Central House, North
Attleboro, Mass. Note-Mrs. T's room front second floor. Note 2 House raised 2
ft. Oct. 16th 1898."
.24 Exterior of contemporary house with women
and children sitting on the porch. Three
chairs are featured.
.25 Large dwelling with ivy covered
walls. Landscape depicted.
.26 Women standing in front yard.
Neighborhood scene.
.27 Architectural shot of a contemporary
house.
Box 2:
.28 Exterior of a small house and
surroundings.
.29 Corner shot of a house with the name of
Helen Morss on the door.
.30 Man sitting in front of a house.
.31 Exterior of a house with landscape
featured.
.32 Opposite side of the same house with
additional buildings in the back of the house depicted.
.33 Exterior of a small house and barn.
.34 Architectural shot of a large house with
several porches.
.35 Scene of a snow covered street and store
fronts, including a bank, laundry, and building with sign "Mrs. E.A.
Woodward."
.36 Same street, with a corner shot of Mrs.
E.A. Woodwards' building (probably a boarding house).
.37 Distant shot of building exterior,
possibly a school.
.38 Corner of a three story building with
young boys sitting in front
.39 Corner shot of a three story dwelling
with porch surrounding first floor.
.40 Three story building with a for sale
sign.
.41 Street scene, with sign on a building
labeling it Harrington Block. Horses and
buggies are parked in the street.
.42 Corner of Palmer and unidentified street
featuring the store front of O'Donnell and Gilbert. A variety of merchandise is displayed.
.43 Small dwelling, with a wicker stroller in
front.
Series 6: Interiors (in Box 2 or 3, noted
after description of photo)
.44 Dining room set up for a party. Food is on the table. A marble top table and dining room set are
featured. (in
.45 Child’s coffin surrounded by flowers; the
coffin is open and the body of Mildred Ethel Kennedy can be seen. Calendar shows the month January 1902. (in
.46 Adult coffin surrounded by flowers; this
coffin is closed; the name Iola appears on a ribbon attached to some of the
flowers (in
.47 Thorpe's
studio and waiting room. Photo show
photographs on the wall and in a glass
case (in
.48 Thorpe's
studio and waiting room. (in
Series 7: Trade Editions of Newspapers
(all in Box 3)
These newspapers were frequently
published to commemorate a town's anniversary, to feature local business, and
to highlight important local worthies.
They provide photographic illustration of shops and store
interiors. Confectioners, shoe stores,
drug stores, banks, dress stores, clothiers, jewelers, groceries, and dry goods
and carpet stores are represented. In
addition, there are histories of the businesses and biographical information on
their proprietors. Some also picture
local dwellings and their interiors, streetscapes, and public buildings. One shows the reception room of Miss Baird's
.49 Amesbury Daily News,
.50 The Alma Argus,
.51
.52
.53 Bath Daily Times,
.54
.55 The
.56
.57 The
.58
.59 The Democrat, Hoosick Falls, NY,
.60
.61 The Evening Chronicle,
.62 The Evening Journal,
.63 The
.64 The Franklin Gazette,
.65 The Granville Sentinel,
.66 Herkimer Citizen,
.67 The Journal and Courier, Little Falls,
.68 The
.69 The Marlboro Times, Marlboro, MA,
.70 The Massena Observer,
.71
.72 The Morning Journal,
.73
.74
.75
.76
.77 The Oneonta Press,
.78
.79 The Reformer,
.80 The
.81 The Spencer Leader,
.82 Steuben Courier,
.83 The
.84 Times and News-Letter,
.85 The
.86 The Webster Times,
.87 Weekly Press,