Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the W. L. Armstrong Washingtoniana Glass Negative Collection

Summary
W. L. Armstrong Washingtoniana Glass Negative Collection
W. L. Armstrong Washingtoniana Glass Negative Collection: 1865-1885
Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.0183
Creators:
Minor, Frank (photographer)
Armstrong, W. L., Mrs.
Dates:
1865-1885
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
1 Cubic foot
2 boxes
Repository:
Glass plate negatives of views of Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Virginia.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
11 8" x 10" and 10 4" x 5" glass photonegatives, some marked "1885", one marked "1865" and "Libby Prison"), but most seem from ca. 1885; silver gelatin except two silver collodion plates, one of which bears the "1865." The large plates were stored in a nineteenth-century wooden, grooved plate box (now stored separately). Images depict buildings and sites in Washington, D.C., including: aerial or bird's-eye views possibly taken from the (unfinished?) Washington Monument; the Manassas Panorama building with the completed (capped) Monument visible in the background; Washington street scenes, especially Pennsylvania Avenue; the Smithsonian castle; the U.S. Capitol; the White House; and dredging operations to create Hains Point.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Photographer(s) and circumstances of creation unknown.
Administration
Author
NMAH Staff
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection donated by Mrs. W. L. Armstrong, February 3, 1986.
Processing Information
Collection processed by NMAH Staff, undated
Collection scanned by Noah Stewart, digitization assistant, 2021.
Custodial History
The donor was given the plates by Frank Minor [Miner?], the uncle of a friend, Mrs. Whitney Aitchen of Laurel, Md. Minor had obtained the plates from an unidentified friend who knew of his photographic interests; apparently they had been in his possession for some years before he gave them to Mrs. Armstrong, for she noted that he was unable to print them "by that time" due to failing eyesight.
Existence and Location of Copies
Collection scanned in 2021.
Digital Content
W. L. Armstrong Washingtoniana Glass Negative Collection
W. L. Armstrong Washingtoniana Glass Negative Collection: 1865-1885.
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Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
W. L. Armstrong Washingtoniana Glass Negative Collection, 1865-1885, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Keywords
Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Streets -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States Capitol (Washington, D.C.) -- 1880-1890 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Washington D.C. -- photographs -- 1860-1890 Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Washington Monument (Washington, D.C.) -- 1880-1890 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Waterfronts -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wet collodion negatives Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
White House (Washington, D.C.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hains Point (Washington, D.C.) -- 1880-1980 Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dredging -- 1880-1890 -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cycloramas -- 1880-1890 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cities and towns -- 1880-1890 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Capitols -- 1880-1890 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Buildings -- 1880-1890 -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Architecture -- 1880-1890 -- Washington (D.C.) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Aerial views -- 1880-1890 -- Washington (D.C.) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- Black-and-white negatives -- Glass -- Collodion -- 19th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Libby Prison -- 1880-1890 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manassas (Va.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Paintings -- 1880-1890 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Panoramas -- 1880-1890 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Smithsonian Institution -- 1880-1890 Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu