Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Victor C. Darnell Bridge Construction Photographs

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1018
Creators:
Darnell, Victor
Dates:
undated
1908-1913
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.3 Cubic feet
1 box
Repository:
Photographs of bridge construction projects collected by Victor Darnell was an early student of civil engineering and a pioneering civil engineer.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection is comprised of ninety black and white photographs documenting various bridge construction projects, including projects in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Warren and Springfield, Massachusetts. One photograph is clearly marked as the Copper Creek Bridge (1908) and another as the Washington Street Bridge (1911). Other photographs are listed by job number or location. The collection includes images of bridges in various phases of construction. There are also images of construction and ironworker crews and machinery used in the building process. Many photographs in the collection are unidentified and are undated. Photographs that are dated are arranged in chronological order followed by undated materials.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Victor C. Darnell, 1921-1999, was a pioneering civil engineer. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1943 and spent thirty-one years, most of that time as chief engineer, working for the Berlin Steel Construction Company.
Throughout his life, Darnell assembled a large collection documenting the history of structural and civil engineering in America. He researched and wrote extensively on the subject, including A Directory of American Bridge-Building Companies 1840-1900 which was published by the Society for Industrial Archaeology in 1984.

Administration

Author
Julie Ruel, (intern), July, 2010; supervised by Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated by Victor C. Darnell, October, 1987.
Custodial History
At the time of the donation, the collection also included photographs of naval vessels, which were transferred to the Division of Armed Forces History (now Division of Political and Military History). The bridge photographs were transferred to the Archives Center in 2007.
Custodial History
Donated to the National Museum of American History's Division of Engineering and Industry, now the Division of Work and Industry, in 1988. At the time of the donation, the collection also included photographs of naval vessels, which were transferred to the Division of Armed Forces History. The bridge photographs were transferred to the Archives Center in 2007.
Processing Information
Processed by Julie Ruel, (intern), July, 2010; supervised by Vanessa Broussard Simmons, archivist.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Preferred Citation
Victor C. Darnell Construction Photographs, 1908-1913 and undated, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
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.

Related Materials
The Archives Center also holds materials relating to the Berlin Construction Company, 1904-1957, AC1032. Victor C. Darnell's large collection of photographs, ephemera, design books, catalogs, advertising magazines and working blueprints are located at the Huntington Library in California.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Bridges -- Pennsylvania Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bridges -- Massachusetts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bridges -- Design and construction Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry 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
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu