Palmyra Photograph Collection: Search

Title: PALMYRA (NY) PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION
Date range: c1890-c1910
Location: D.251
Size: 9 boxes, 7 albums, 1 package

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.

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.

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.

For more information about the Palmyra Photograph Collection, please consult the register.

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