The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike,
302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: Dunning family
Title: Dunning family glass plate negative collection
Dates: circa 1890-1910
Call No.: Col. 893
Acc. No.: 11x36
Quantity: 160 items
Location: 40 A-B 1
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
The progenitor of the Dunning family pictured in
these photos was Thomas Stevenson Dunning, born in 1848 in Dover,
Delaware. He was the son of James
Anderson and Margaret Ann Stevenson Dunning.
In 1864, he entered Dickinson College, studying the classics and
chemistry; he also learned photography while there. He graduated in 1867 and taught for a year
before entering Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, where homeopathy was
taught. After receiving his medical
degree in 1870, he established a practice in Middletown, Delaware.
In October 1872, Dr. Dunning married Lydia Balderston,
the daughter of Samuel F. and Martha Ann Griffith Balderston of
Philadelphia. Dr. and Mrs. Dunning had
eight children: Margaret B., Martha K. (Martie), Thomas Snively (Bud), Mary E.,
John Erasmus (died young), Lydia J., Cherub (died as a baby), and Anna B. (20
years younger than Margaret). Only
Margaret was born in Delaware; the others were born after the family moved to
Philadelphia in 1874, eventually settling at 1328 North Fifteenth Street, where
Dr. Dunning had his practice on the first floor, and the family lived above. Lydia Balderston Dunning died in June 1941,
and Dr. Dunning died in January 1945.
After the death of the doctor, a good many of the
Dunnings’ possessions found a home with Lucy Taxis Shoe (born 1906), the
daughter of Mary E. Dunning. Before Miss
Shoe died in 2003, she had asked that her cousin Martha Paxson Grundy
(granddaughter of Martie Dunning) distribute the family goods to various family
members. Mrs. Grundy did so, and wrote a
book about the family and the goods, 1328
North Fifteenth Street: The Dunning Family and Its Things.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
Collection of 148 glass plate negatives, 1
photograph, and several blank glass plates, collected by members of the Dunning
family. Included with the collection is
a CD with reproductions of the negatives, with labels added to them. The photos mostly depict individuals or
family groups, with some landscapes. Family
possessions are seen in some of the photographs. Besides the photos of people, the collection
includes photos of the wedding party of Martha K. (Martie) Dunning and Charles
Paxson (married 1901); a photo of Martha’s sisters with some of her wedding
gifts; groups of young people in bathing costumes, perhaps taken at Wildwood,
New Jersey, in the early 1900s; the interior of the box factory owned by Cyrus
Forbes Woods in Enfield, Massachusetts; an ox-drawn cart in front of the
Dunning dry goods store in Dover, Delaware; and the cast of a play.
Remaining with the collection are some of the bags,
envelopes, and boxes which once held the negatives, kept because some
identifying information was written on them.
These are all brittle.
ORGANIZATION
The negatives are arranged by size, then by
accession number within each size.
Each negative has two numbers, the accession number
assigned by the Downs Collection (.1-.148) and a four digit number assigned by
Mrs. Grundy, which corresponds to the number of each photo on the CD.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are mostly pictorial, but what writing
there is, is in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
Researchers must view the images on the CD first;
gloves must be worn when handling the negatives.
PROVENANCE
Gift of Martha Jonet Paxson Grundy, whose
grandmother was Martha Kelso (Martie) Dunning Paxson.
RELATED
MATERIALS
Mrs. Grundy’s book, 1328 North Fifteenth Street: The Dunning Family and Its Things, is
found in the Printed Books and Periodicals Section of the library. This book reproduces a few of the photos in
this collection.
Some of the photos are also available at http://mjpg00.tripod.com/dunning.html
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Dunning, Thomas Stevenson,
1848-1945.
Dunning
family.
Topics:
Grace Methodist Episcopal
Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Amateur theater.
Amusements.
Bathing suits - Pictorial
works.
Box making - Massachusetts - Enfield.
Bridges - Photographs.
Carriages and
carts - Photographs.
Checkers.
Children -
Photographs.
Commencement
ceremonies.
Dinners and
dining - Pennsylvania - Philadelphia.
Dolls -
Photographs.
Factories -
Massachusetts - Enfield.
Family - Photographs.
Gifts.
Oxen.
Seaside resorts.
Ships - Launching.
Weddings - Photographs.
Dover (Del.) - Photographs.
Enfield (Mass.) - Photographs.
Fairmount Park (Philadelphia, Pa.) - Photographs.
Philadelphia City Hall (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Philadelphia (Pa.) - Photographs.
Plymouth (Mass.) -
Photographs.
Glass plate negatives.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 40
A-B 1
Note: all accession numbers begin with 11x36. The four digit numbers in parenthesis, found
as part of the description of each item, is the number used to label the photos
on the CD.
Smaller
plates:
Box 1:
.3 Thomas
Stevenson Dunning, as a young
man, seated (6770)
.5 2 young men wearing caps, seated on chairs;
the taller boy may be Charles T. Dunning) (6772)
.8 8 young women with a
checkerboard (6775, same as 7034)
.9 Charles T. Dunning as a youth or young
man (6776)
.10 6 girls; 1 is blurred; girl in front row
center might be Margaret Balderston Dunning (6777)
.11 ox cart in front of 407 Loockerman St.,
Dover, Delaware, the dry goods store run by James A. Dunning and then his son
James H. Dunning, ca. 1869 or 1870 (6778) [see book,
p. 137]
.12 3 Dunning sisters: Margaret B., Anna B.,
and Mary E., with some of the wedding gifts of their sister Martha (Martie) K. Dunning, who
married Charles S. Paxson on Oct. 1, 1901 (6779) [see book, p. 99]
.13 Dunning family group, taken in second floor
rear sitting room, 1328 N. 15th St.
(6780);
standing from left:
Hannah James (a boarder), Martha K. (Martie), Mary E., Margaret B.; seated from
left: Margaret Ann Stevenson Dunning (mother), Thomas S. Dunning (with beard), Thomas Snively Dunning (in front),
Lydia B. holding Anna, Lydia James Dunning (in front), Charles T. (brother of Thomas S.), and Mary H. (Mollie)
Crever Dunning
.14 Dunning family group
in sitting room, same time as 6780 (6781);
standing from left:
Martie, Margaret, Charles Crever Dunning?, Mary; seated from left: Margaret Ann
Stevenson Dunning, Tom Snively Dunning (in front),Thomas S. Dunning (with beard), Lydia
J. Dunning
(in front), Lydia B. holding Anna, Charles
T. (brother of Thos. S.) and Mary H. (Mollie) Crever Dunning (wife of Charles T.)
.15 wedding party of Martha K. Dunning
and Charles S. Paxson (6782)
[see also 6901 on
larger glass plate, with label; see also the book, p. 100]
.16 Martha K. Dunning as a bride, holding her
bouquet, standing by an easel. (6783)
Portrait on easel is
of Lydia B. Dunning; large picture on the wall is of 5 Dunning children (see
book, p. 6);
small photo in oval mat is Charles S. Paxson, the groom. Photo taken in front parlor,
Dunning house at 1328 N. 15th St., Philadelphia
.17 little girl, possibly Anna, lying on ground
in back yard (6784; same girl in 6785 and 6789)
.18 little girl, possibly Anna, in back yard
with fence (6785; same girl in 6784 and 6789)
.19 2 small children: Anna B. Dunning (in
white) with doll, boy with ball, interior scene (6786)
.20 Anna Bartlett Dunning as flower girl for her
sister Martie's wedding, Oct. 1, 1901 (6787)
.21 Anna standing in back yard, unknown woman in background
(6788)
.22 little girl, possibly Anna, standing in back
yard (6789; same girl in 6784 and 6785)
.23 Lydia B. and Thomas S. Dunning (standing),
with Mary E. Dunning Shoe holding Lucy T. Shoe and her doll (6790)
.24 Lydia B. and Thomas S. Dunning (standing)
with Mary E. Dunning Shoe holding her daughter Lucy T. Shoe and doll; (6791, taken same time as
6790, at 1328 N. 15th St.)
.25 Anna B. Dunning, with 8 dolls and a box of
doll clothes, on couch (6792)
.26 Margaret Ann Stevenson Dunning, as an elderly
woman, seated on porch (6793)
.27 3 women on couch: Margaret Ann Stevenson
Dunning, Martha K. Dunning, Hannah James (6794)
.28 5 women and 1 man on porch, 1890s (6795,
taken same time as 6796);
Woman with elbow on railing might be
Margaret B. Dunning; woman sitting on arm of chair might be Lydia B. Dunning
.29 5 women and 1 man on porch, 1890s (6796,
taken same time as 6795);
woman in light dress
sitting on chair arm may be Lydia Balderston Dunning, the man may be Isaiah
Balderston, Lydia's oldest brother
.30 Lydia
B. Dunning, ThomasS. Dunning, Hannah James?, Mary E., Martha (Martie), and the
seated woman might be Lona Dunning (6797, taken at the same time as 6798, interior of 15th St.
home)
.31 Lona?, Mary?, Hannah?,
Thomas S., and Lydia B. Dunning; seated man might be Charles Crever Dunning (6798 taken at the same time as 6797)
.32 2 women on couch:
Sarah Quinnely Stevenson Kirk (1829-1910; wife of James Kirk), and her sister Margaret
Ann Stevenson Dunning (1818-1904, widow of James A. Dunning) (6799)
Box 2:
.33 outdoor scene with hammock: Mary D. Shoe and W. B. (Dub) Shoe (in hammock),
and unknown woman, note bikes leaning against a tree (6800)
.34 the elderly Margaret
Ann Stevenson Dunning and young girl, Lydia James Dunning, in yard (6801; badly scratch)
.35 family group at the
dining table (6802)
.36 2
women (Martie
D. Paxson) and Lydia B. Dunning?) with 3 small children (Tom, Helen, and
Charlie Paxson), sitting on grass (6803)
.37 2 women and 2
children sitting on grass; mother and daughter might be Martie and Helen C. Paxson (6804)
.38 large
suburban house, taken from across the street (can also see 2 neighboring
houses) (6805)
.39 large group on porch of
“The Summerfield” (boarding house or hotel), possibly the extended Balderston
family (6806)
.40 2 girls and a boy
sitting on lawn by fence (6807)
.41 elderly
woman seated on chair in yard (6808)
.42 2 horses pulling a carriage
with 4 passengers; possibly Lydia and Thomas Dunning in front seat (6809)
.43 2 horse pulling carriage
on street, in front of a building (6810; same day and carriage as 6809?)
.44 large house, possibly
a summer house, possibly by the shore (6811)
.45 tall
slim monument with statue on top [possibly a Revolutionary War or Civil War
monument] (6812)
.46 Cyrus
Forbes Woods and Caroline (Lina) Dunning Jones Woods on porch of Enfield,
Massachusetts, home, with a dog, circa 1898 (6814)
.47 Main Street, Enfield,
Mass. (6815)
.48 Cyrus Woods and workers
in his box factory, Enfield, Mass. (6816)
.49 view of box factory
in middle distance, Enfield, Mass. (6817)
.50 4 workers in box
factory, Enfield, Mass. (6818)
.51 mountain in distance,
from the road around Little Quabben, Mass., 1898 (6819)
.52 country road around
Little Quabben, Mass., 1898 (6820)
Labeled
on side: [?] – 39-1 – [illegible]
.53 valley view (6821)
.54 view of mountain, with
country lane, Enfield, Mass. (6822)
.55 street
scene, Enfield, Mass., possibly showing the former residence of Gen. Joseph
Hooker (6823)
.56 drawing
of seafood dinner items (lobster, crab, ice cream, coffee, etc.) on the outline
of a leaf (6824)
.57 2 houses on shore
(8626; possibly same houses as in 6834; damaged negative)
.58 a man fishing from
rocks (6827)
Box 3
.59 cemetery, with grave
of Daniel Webster, Marshfield, Mass.
(6828)
.60 bas relief, possibly
depicting the signing of the Mayflower Compact (6829)
.61 monument, statue of a Revolutionary
War man wearing a tricorn, on horseback (6830)
.62 rocky coastline (6331)
.63 Watch Hill Light
House, Westerly, Rhode Island (6832; labelled on glass)
.64 Plymouth Rock (6833)
.65 2 ocean front houses
(6834; possibly same buildings as in 8626)
.66 National Monument to the
Forefathers, Plymouth, Mass. (6835)
.67 people on a beach
(6836; badly scratched)
.68 cemetery (6837)
.69 sailboat on ocean
(6838)
.70 ocean and beach,
with shadow of photographer and 2 parasols (6839)
.71 woman in yard with 3
children and a swing, large house in background, also a bicycle (6841);
Possibly Lydia B. Dunning with granddaughters Lucy T. Shoe (b. 1906), Lydia B.
Adams (b. 1908), and Ruth N. Dunning (b. 1910)
.72 group of 4 people
outdoors (6842)
.73 group of young men
and women, most in bathing costumes, on a beach
(6843)
.74 closer
view of the group on a beach in bathing costumes (12 men, 6 women); possibly in Wildwood,
New Jersey (6844)
.75 group on young men
and women on a beach, with buildings in background, possibly in Wildwood, N.Y.;
one man holds a tennis racket (6845)
.76 group
of young men and women, most in bathing costume, on beach, large house (perhaps
a hotel) in background (6846)
.77 interior
of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, Broad & Master Streets, Philadelphia,
decorated with
"WELCOME" floral tributes, etc.
(6847)
.78 corner
of a room with a desk and chair, pictures and tennis racket on wall (6848)
.79 statue of William Penn in front of Philadelphia
City Hall (statue not yet put on the top of the tower), group of people
standing in front (6849)
.80 2 girls, Lydia J.
and Mary E. Dunning, sitting in backyard (frame of building and other figures
behind them) (6850a)
.81 baby held in front
of a woman, hiding her face, bed to one side
(6850b)
.82 baby held by woman,
who is hidden by a shawl (6851a; similar to 6850b; glass broken)
.83 steps leading to a house
(6851b)
.84 Lydia J. Dunning, in
plaid dress (6852a)
.85 Lydia J. Dunning in
plaid dress (6852b, different pose from
that above)
Box 4
.86 Thomas Snively (Bud)
Dunning, posing against tablecloth pinned to door behind him (6853a)
.87 T. Snively (Bud)
Dunning, same locale but different pose from that above (6853b)
.88 extended family group sitting on
porch steps (6854a)
.89 barn and tennis
court (6854b; similar to 6855b)
.90 4 people on a porch (clapboard
house with porches on 1st and 2nd floors; small front
yard with fence, not Dunning house in Philadelphia, possibly a summer house) (6855a)
.91 view of stone wall,
barn, meadow, and hills in distance (6855b; see also 6854b, but no tennis court
in this photo)
.92 fountain and Memorial
Building from Centennial Exhibition (Art Gallery) (6857)
.93 bridges
over a river, probably the Schuylkill, with reflections (6858)
.94 water lily pond and
flower beds, with Horticultural Hall (from Centennial Exhibition) in the background (6859)
.95 fountain (probably from Centennial
Exhibition) (6860)
.96 arched stone bridge
with carriages passing underneath (6861)
.97 statue
of Jeanne d'Arc [Joan of Arc], with some tower (water tower?) in the background
(6862)
[note:
this statue still stands in Philadelphia]
.98 stream
in a woods, possibly Wissahickon Creek (6863)
.99 adult
& child and boat on shore of lake [or possibly along the Schuylkill River]
(6864)
.100 statue
of Goethe on a pedestal, surrounded by flower beds (6865)
[note: this statue
still stands in Philadelphia]
.101 Memorial
Building from Centennial Exhibition (Art Gallery) 6866
.102 figures
on a pedestal, with inscription (6867)
.103 “Hudson
Bay Wolves Quarreling over Carcass of Deer,” sculpture by Edward Kemeys at the
Philadelphia Zoo, with 2 men looking at it
(6868)
[note:
this sculpture is still at the zoo]
.104 9 young women in white dresses with
bouquets; probably a graduation picture (6870)
.105 family group with woman and 5 children in a
church graveyard (6871, damaged)
.106 island
in a river, house in background (6872)
.107 ship
launching? with a parade of tugs and boats (6873) (see also 6875, 6879, and 6880)
.108 several spans of a
bridge [perhaps a pontoon bridge] and shore, with buildings (6874)
.109 ship
launching? with people on a dock (6875;
same event as in 6873, 6879, and 6880)
.110 boat
approaching
an open swing bridge, with covered bridge sections on either side of the open
section; photo also includes a group of women in the prow of the boat (6876)
.111 long truss
bridge (6877)
.112 "Up the
Delaware" written on glass; people on deck of boat; shoreline with trees
and houses
in distance (6878; damaged)
.113 another
view of the ship launching, with lots of small boats and large one with flags (6879, badly scratched; see also 6873, 6875,
and 6880)
.114 tugboats and row
boats in a harbor, presumably after the ship launching (6880; see also 6873, 6875, and 6879)
.115 child and cat (6882)
Box 5:
.116 dinner
party at the Shakespeare home (6883; see also 6884, below)
From left: Thos. S. Dunning, Dolly Shakespeare, man servant, Lydia B.
Dunning, and Edwin O. Shakespeare (with his back to the photographer) [see book, p. 65]
.117 dinner
party at the Shakespeare home (6884, damaged edge, see also 6883 above)
From left: Thomas S. Dunning, Dolly Shakespeare, woman servant, Lydia B.
Dunning, and Edwin O. Shakespeare (with his back to the photographer) [see book, p.
65; Edwin Shakespeare and Dr. Dunning attended Dickinson College together]
.118 large
house, viewed across a lawn; same house as in next photo (6885)
.119 3-story
stone house with tower, lawn and curving drive under porte-cochere (6886)
.120 Lawn
and trees (a park?) (6887)
.121 man
with wheelbarrow (6888)
.122 curved
paved road, small circular flower bed, trees, bridge in distance (6889)
.123 Lydia
B. Dunning and Dolly Shakespeare, each holding a Shakespeare boy (Charlie and
Teddie), seated on porch (6890)
.124 Margaret
B. Dunning in white dress, standing with hand on a chair in front of a wardrobe (6891)
.125 Margaret
B. Dunning standing with arm raised, same wardrobe and chair as above, but a
different pose and dress (6892)
.126 Margaret
B. Dunning in dark dress, standing with flower in hand, next to same chair as
above, but just an edge of the wardrobe is visible (6893)
.127 Margaret
B. Dunning in dark dress seated on chair, same chair as above, but just an edge
of the wardrobe is visible (6894)
.138 8 young women with checker board (7034; see
also 6775)
.140 Lizzie Smith and
[illegible] Beck [dresses are
circa 1865] (7036)
.141 Al Cowgill, as a very young boy (wearing a
dress) (7037)
[Dr.
Dunning’s older half-sister Anna Eliza married Albert Cowgill; this is one of
their children, probably born in the late 1860s]
.142 Lulu Cowgill and man
holding her, labeled with her name and “2254 proof” (703 8)
[Lulu was
a daughter of Anna Eliza Dunning and Albert Cowgill, born around 1867]
.143 Lulu Cowgill in
high chair, with part of a man off to one side; “Cowgill” scratched at top of
negative (7039)
.144 Dunning
(male) as a teenager, masked edges; reverse side of negative has the names
Dunning and Cummings scratched onto the plate
(7040)
.145 man (Thomas S. Dunning?), standing by a
chair (7042)
.146 man (Thomas S. Dunning?), standing by a
chair, as in 7042 (7043)
.149 photo of Dr. C. F. Hines of Dickinson
College [see book, p. 20]
.150a-m blank glass plates
Larger plates:
Box 6:
.1 Thomas
Stevenson Dunning, as young man (6768; broken glass)
[note:
this might be a photo of a photo of TSD as a young man]
.2 James Henry Dunning as a young man (6769)
[note: again, this might be a photo of a photo of JHD as a young man]
.4 2 images of James H. Dunning as a young
man, with label along one edge (6771)
.6 Charles
Thompson Dunning as a young man (6773)
.7 Charles
T. Dunning as a young man, in large coat (damaged) (6774)
.128 woman seated with couple behind her (6900,
poor quality)
.129 Martie K. Dunning-Charles S. Paxson wedding
party (6901; see also 6863);
The party: R. Russell
"Rusty" Stapler, Lona Dunning (bride's first cousin), Thomas Snively ("Bud")
Dunning (bride's brother), Anna R. Paxson (groom's sister), Francis W. (Dickie)
Dager, Helen A. ("Nellie") Childs (bride's friend and neighbor),
James ("Jimmy") MacCarter, Mabel Shaffer (bride's sister
Margaret's best friend), Herbert M. ("Herb") Eastburn [partially obscured], Margaret
B. Dunning (bride's older sister), S. Arthur Eastburn, Mary E. Dunning (bride's next
younger sister), C. Lyston ("Charlie") Jones, Laurie Wentzel. In
front: the groom Charles S. Paxson and bride Martha K. Dunning and flower girl Anna B. Dunning (bride's
youngest sister). Oct. 1, 1901, Philadelphia.
.130 Dunning
family group portrait, ca. 1901 (6902)
From left: Lydia J., T. Snively ("Bud"), Lydia B. holding
Anna, Margaret B., Thomas S., Martha K. ("Martie") in front of Mary E.
Box 7:
.135 cast of "Mrs. Jarley's Wax Works" theatrical
production (6927)
.136 cast
of "Mrs. Jarley's Wax Works" cast, amateur theatrical production (6928)
.137 Cast of "Mrs.
Jarley's Wax Works" theatrical production (6929)
.139 James A. Dunning as young man (photo of
photo) (7035)
.147 Thomas Stevenson Dunning? As young man,
from waist up (7044)
.148 Thomas Stevenson Dunning? As young man,
from chest up (7045)
Box 8:
.131 Dunning
family group with Miss Hampton, outdoors, bare trees (Thanksgiving Day, circa
1897) (6903, similar to 6904-6906)
.132 Dunning
family
group with Miss Hampton (Thanksgiving Day, circa 1897) (6904, similar to 6903,
6905, 6906)
Top
row: servant,
Margaret B. Dunning, Thomas S. Dunning, unknown, servant;
middle row: Margaret Ann Stevenson Dunning, Miss Hampton (visiting
missionary), Lydia B. Dunning holding Anna; Hannah James, Martha K. ("Martie");
front row: unknown, Lydia J., Charles S. Paxson
.133 Dunning family group with
Miss Hampton (Thanksgiving Day, circa 1897) (6905, similar to 6903,
6904, 6906)
standing in back row: servant,
Margaret, Thomas S. Dunning, unknown, servant;
middle row: Margaret Ann Stevenson Dunning, Miss Hampton (visiting missionary),
Lydia B. holding Anna who is holding photo of the missing Mary; Hannah James,
unknown;
front row:
T. Snively ("Bud"), Lydia J., Martie,
.134 Dunning family group with
Miss Hampton (Thanksgiving Day, circa 1897) (6906; similar to 6903, 6904, 6905)
standing
in back row: servant, Margaret, Thomas S.
Dunning, unknown, servant;
middle row: Margaret Ann Stevenson Dunning, Miss Hampton (visiting missionary), Lydia B. holding a
moving Anna; Hannah James, Martie;
front row:
unknown, T. Snively ("Bud"), Lydia J., Charles S. Paxson
Box 9:
Folder 1: labels
and information about the collection, and the CD with images, provided by the
donor
Folder 2: positive scans of the negatives
Boxes which
contained most of the glass plate negatives.
Included are 4 boxes (3 different designs) from the M.A. Seed Dry Plate
Co., one box of the Stanley Dry Plate, 2 boxes of Wuestner’s Dry Plates, a box
of Carbutt’s brand from the Keystone Dry Plate Works, and an unlabeled
box. (Some of the negatives were not in
boxes.)