Palmyra (N.Y.) photograph collection

Collection

Identifier: D.251

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of 312 glass plate negatives The photographs are thought to have been made by a member of the Garlock family in the small upstate New York town of Palmyra. The images were taken in the period from 1890 to 1910, a time marked by great economic growth and just prior to America's growing involvement in world affairs. We were still a rural nation - farms and small towns having the majority of the population.

Coincident with this was the technological change occurring in photography. Until the 1890s, photographers were using the "wet-plate" process requiring the carrying of cumbersome equipment and wet chemicals to where the photograph was being made and the immediate processing of the negative after exposure. The "dry-plate" process eliminated all this bother, allowing the photographer to range far and wide with only camera, tripod and dry plates, leaving the processing to a later time. This simplification of the process allowed for the growth of photography as a hobby--going head to head with bicycling as the most popular form of leisure activity.

The images in the collection are representative of any small town in America. The photographers who took up the camera turned it to what was most familiar to them; their family, friends, home, their town, its businesses and its Main Street. They photographed what was most familiar to them and what they were most proud of. They also photographed what they felt was most beautiful. Rarely did these photographers work more than a few hours travel from their home and more usually photographed within walking distance of it. In this collection we find people, events, and settings that are unique to the town of Palmyra and unique to the Garlocks but also representative of the country as a whole. This is a loving glimpse into small town America when it was growing, full of vitality and endless possibility.

Creator

Garlock family (Family)

Dates

Creation: circa 1890-1910

Language of Materials

English

Extent

9 box(es) (9 boxes, 7 albums, and 1 package)

Access

The Palmyra (N.Y.) Photograph Collection is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books, Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The glass plate negatives were a gift of John M. Topham in 1974. The printing of the negatives was made possible through funds provided by New York State for the conservation of materials in research libraries.

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], Palmyra (N.Y.) Photograph Collection, D.251, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester