Usage conditions may apply for digital images, video, and sound recordings linked within SOVA collections. While digital content may be restricted, SOVA collection descriptions and catalog records are available CC0 for re-use. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Archives of American Gardens
John Hiller lantern slide collection, circa 1915-1930
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAG.HLR
- Creators:
-
Hiller, John
- Dates:
-
circa 1910-1935
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
0.75 Cubic feet216 lantern slides:color autochromes;3.25 x 4 inches.
- Repository:
The John Hiller Lantern Slide Collection contains 216 glass autochromes dated circa 1910-1920 documenting homes and gardens, house interiors, scenes from domestic and foreign travel, flower arrangements, and people in Europe and unidentified locations.
Scope and Contents Note
Scope and Contents Note
The John Hiller Collection contains 216 glass autochromes dated c. 1910-1920. The images cover a wide array of subjects and regions, with many of them showing landscapes and travel destinations. Some show house interiors, flower arrangements, or casual groups of people. Several of the autochromes show historic towns and ruins in Greece and Switzerland along with some in Croatia, Italy, Bulgaria and Austria. Scattered amongst these are slides of various unidentified sites and gardens. It is not known if any of the unidentified images show sites in the United States.
The photographer(s) of these images is unknown. The uniformity of the type of tape used to seal each of the autochromes suggests that the images are likely the work of one photographer or photo studio rather than a collection compiled by an individual from multiple sources.
Administration
Author
AAG staff
Immediate Source of Acquisition Note
John Hiller, an employee in the Smithsonian's Office of Exhibits Central, donated the collection to the Archives of American Gardens in 2005. The collection had been on deposit in the Archives for a few years prior to it being formally donated.
Custodial History note
John Hiller, an employee in the Smithsonian's Office of Exhibits Central, acquired the collection from John Wellemeyer sometime in the 1990s. According to Hiller, Wellemeyer was involved with filmmaking and purchased the box of autochromes at a yard sale, possibly in Alexandria, Virginia.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access note
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Conditions Governing Use note
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Preferred Citation note
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, John Hiller lantern slide collection.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
While most of the lantern slides are autochromes, there is a possibility that some are dioptichromes.
More Information
Original Classification Scheme
Original Classification Scheme
The autochromes in the John Hiller Collection were originally housed in a wooden box divided into ten sections. A sheet of typewritten numbered image captions was pasted to the inside of the hinged box lid. Many of the autochromes bear a hand-written alpha-numeric code on their border (e.g. A-17, D-11, etc.) that is keyed to a specific caption. A few images have a small sticker with a hand-written number affixed to them. The sheet of image captions lists four broad subject categories at the top: House & Garden, Copies, Experimental, and Portraits. Below these are listed individual captions for (87) European sites. While the subject categories are written in English, some of the captions feature foreign words (Suisse for Switzerland, Wien for Vienna, etc.)
The autochromes were found in no discernible order and did not follow the order of the numbered captions.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardens -- Europe | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Cultural landscapes | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Seascapes | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Flower arrangement | Topical | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Lantern slides | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Autochromes (photographs) | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Repository Contact
Archives of American Gardens
P.O. Box 37012
Capital Gallery West, Suite 3300, MRC 506
Washington, DC 20013-7012
aag@si.edu
