The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry
Francis du Pont
5105
Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware 19735
Telephone:
302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION
Creator: Thorpe, Roy Victory, 1882-1978
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 was born in Amsterdam, New
York, on July 1, 1882; his parents were Charles H. and Harriet Victory
Thorpe. Charles Thorpe was in the
newspaper business and then started a business printing and publishing
illustrated trade editions of newspapers, which required him to move frequently
(arriving in a new town, staying for about 6 weeks to write and print the town business
history, and then moving on). The
Thorpes had residences in Menands, Glens Falls, and Plattsburg, New York;
Laconia, Lancaster, and Littleton, New Hampshire; and Detroit, Michigan, among
other places. The 1900 census lists Roy
living with his mother in Lowell, Massachusetts, both noted as being
photographers.
Roy began his photography career
as an apprentice to Gokay photographers in Bennington, Vermont, for two
years. Afterwards, he took photographs
for his father's publishing venture and later opened his own studio in Lowell,
Massachusetts, when he was 16 years old, closing it after he had a bout of
typhoid fever when he was 21. In the
meantime, his father had purchased the newspaper in Littleton, New Hampshire,
and Roy rejoined his family there, working with his father in the newspaper and
publishing business. The Thorpes, father
and son, eventually returned to their nomadic printing business, but Roy
finally settled in Menands, New York, working for a newspaper with offices in
Albany, Troy, and Schenectady.
In 1914, Roy Thorpe married
Louise Margaret Powers of Laconia, New Hampshire. They had at least two children. Roy died on April 24, 1978.
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
Collection
also contains thirty-nine trade editions of newspapers published by Thorpe and
his father between 1897 and 1916 in upstate New York, New England, and the
mid-West. These editions were frequently
published to commemorate a town's anniversary, to feature local businesses, and
to highlight important local worthies.
They provide photographic illustrations 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, the newspapers include essays on the histories of the businesses and
their proprietors. Some also picture
local dwellings, interiors, streetscapes, and public buildings.
ORGANIZATION
The
collection is organized into six series of photographs (Thorpe family photos,
photos taken while an apprentice, tintype, studio portraits, outdoor photos,
and interior scenes), plus a seventh series of newspapers.
LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS
The
photographs are mostly visual, but the limited text is in English. The newspapers are in English.
RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS
Collection
is open to the public. Copyright
restrictions may apply.
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
[evidently given to an aunt or uncle
as Roy is identified as “my nephew”]
.2 Charles H. Thorpe, taken at the
[Roy’s father]
.6 “Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Victory, Died Jan.
7, 1888.”
[another copy of this photo owned by
a family member identifies these as Charles Henry and Mary Elizabeth Victory,
the maternal grandparents of Roy V. Thorpe; it is unclear which Victory died in
1888]
.3 Bust of Hattie B. Thorpe in Victorian
dress.
[Roy’s mother]
.4 Informal interior shot of an older
woman and Roy V. Thorpe, sitting in front of a fireplace, with clock on the
mantel. This is a companion to the photo below.
Taken when Thorpe was an apprentice
at Gokay.
.5 Companion to the photo above, taken from
a different angle, with a man and a woman, probably Charles and Hattie Thorpe.
Taken while at Gokay.
Series 3: Tintypes (in Box 1):
.7 Young girl standing beside a stool with
a padded cover and tassels.
[possibly Harriet (Hattie) Beatrice
Victory, later Mrs. Charles Thorpe]
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. None of the photos
are marked or identified in any way.
Folder
1: .8-.12
Folder
2: .13-.16
Folder
3: .17-.19
Folder
4: .20-.22
[note: a copy of .20
appears in .45; probably .20 is Mildred Kennedy, but possibly it is a sister of
Mildred]
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 on front: "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."
A large Victorian home, being used
as a boarding house run by Mrs. C.W. Davis; three women are in front, one in a
hammock.
.24 Exterior of bow-fronted house (a twin or
duplex), with women and children sitting on the porch. Three chairs are featured.
.25 Large Gothic Revival brick dwelling with
ivy covered walls. Landscape depicted.
.26 Women standing in front yard.
Neighborhood scene.
.27 Architectural shot of a house.
Box 2:
.28 Exterior of a small house and
surroundings; rocking chair in yard near wooden sidewalk.
.29 Corner shot of a house with the name of
Helen Morss on the door.
.30 Man (possibly Charles Thorpe) sitting in
front of a house.
.31 Exterior of a house with landscape
featured; also shown are wooden sidewalk and a fire hydrant. See also .32.
.32 Opposite side of the same house as in
.31, with additional buildings in the back of the house depicted.
.33 Exterior of a small farmhouse, barn, and
additional sheds.
.34 Architectural shot of a large house with
several porches; a fire hydrant is also seen.
.35 Scene of a snow covered street,with 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 (possibly a boarding house, or the sign may refer to a
ground floor shop).
.37 Distant shot of building exterior, probably
a school as a bell hangs in a cupola.
.38 Corner of a three story brick building
with young boys sitting in front; possibly a school
.39 Corner shot of a three story dwelling
(with dormers in attic story), with porch surrounding first floor, possibly a
hotel.
.40 Three story brick building with a cupola,
probably a school; wooden shed next to the building and other buildings beyond
it are also seen.
.41 Street scene, with sign on a building
labeling it Harrington Block. Horses and
buggies are parked in the street. Many
American flags are flying, so possibly the photo was taken around the Fourth of
July.
.42 Corner of Palmer and an unidentified
street, featuring the store fronts of O’Donnell and Gilbride, dry goods, small
wares, and carpeting. A variety of
merchandise is displayed.
This photo is labeled as being from
the Thorpe Studio, Lowell, Mass.
[note: the O’Donnell and Gilbride
store in Lowell, Mass., burned in Jan. 1904, and did not reopen, so this photo
predates that fire]
.43 Small dwelling, with a wheelchair 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 side table and dining room set
are featured. A deer head hangs on the
wall; a telephone is also depicted.
If the monogram on the table cloth
can be read as LMP (the last letter is difficult to figure out), then it is
possible the dining room is decorated for the wedding reception of Louise
Margaret Powers and Roy Victory Thorpe, 1914. (in Box 3)
.45 Child’s coffin surrounded by flowers; the
coffin is open and the body of Mildred Ethel Kennedy can be seen. Calendar for 1902 is on the wall.
[Mildred Ethel Kennedy of Lowell,
Mass., daughter of Mabel A. Piersons and Hiram L. Kennedy, died June 3,
1902. She was 2 ½ when she died. The large photo on the wall above the coffin
is the same shot as .20 in Box 1.] (in Box 3)
.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; a telephone is also on the wall. (in Box 2)
.48 Thorpe's studio and waiting room; same room
as in .47 above but the decor has been somewhat rearranged. (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; these were produced and published by
Charles H. Thorpe, often with the assistance of Roy V. Thorpe. They provide photographic illustration of
shops and store interiors (possibly some were taken by Roy Thorpe). 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,
Amesbury, Mass., Mar. 26, 1901
.50 The Alma Argus, Alma,
Mich., Dec. 17, 1897
.51
.52 Bangor Daily Commercial,
Bangor, Maine, Nov. 2, 1900
.53 Bath Daily Times,
Bath, Maine, July 5, 1900
.54 Biddeford Daily Journal,
Biddeford, Maine, Oct. 28, 1899
.55 The
.56
.57 The Chicopee Herald,
Chicopee, Mass., Aug. 17, 1897
.58 Clinton Daily Item,
Clinton, Mass., Dec. 23, 1897
.59 The Democrat,
Hoosick Falls, NY,
.60 Eaton County Republican,
Charlotte, Mich., Mar. 8, 1895
.61 The Evening Chronicle,
North Attleboro, Mass., Oct. 15, 1898
.62 The Evening Journal,
Pittsfield, Mass., Apr. 27, 1899
.63 The Fostoria Daily
Dispatch, Fostoria, Ohio, May 20, 1895
.64 The Franklin Gazette,
.65 The Granville Sentinel,
.66 Herkimer Citizen,
.67 The Journal and Courier,
Little Falls,
.68 The Lafayette Journal,
Lafayette, Ind., Dec. 21, 1894
.69 The Marlboro Times,
Marlboro, Mass., Mar. 24, 1898
.70 The Massena Observer,
.71 Milford Daily News,
Milford, Mass., Aug. 20, 1898
.72 The Morning Journal,
Lafayette, Ind., Nov. 20, 1894
.73 Muskegon Enterprise,
Muskegon, Ohio, Feb. 1897
.74
.75 Northampton Daily Herald,
Northampton, Mass., Nov. 1, 1901
.76 Norwalk Gazette,
Norwalk, Conn., Feb. 10, 1899
.77 The Oneonta Press,
.78
.79 The Reformer,
Bennington, Vermont, June 16, 1899
.80 The Southbridge Journal,
Southbridge, Mass., May 26, 1898
.81 The Spencer Leader,
.82 Steuben Courier,
.83 The Taunton Evening News,
Taunton, Mass., Nov. 26, 1898
.84 Times and News-Letter,
Westfield, Mass., Oct. 6, 1897
.85 The
.86 The Webster Times,
Webster, Mass., July 1, 1898
.87 Weekly Press, Adrian,
Mich., Nov. 2, 1894