Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the A.R. Van Tassell Photograph Albums

Summary

A.R. Van Tassell Photograph Albums
A.R. Van Tassell Photograph Albums
Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1015
Creators:
Van Tassell, A.R.
Jackson, Paul
Dates:
1900-1956
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
0.3 Cubic feet
1 box
Repository:
Photograph album documenting the professional work and personal life of A. R. Van Tassell, an engineer who worked on structures in Hawaii as well as the Panama Canal.

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
Collection consists of two photograph albums documenting A. R. Van Tassell's engineering career and family life. The first album includes photographs that begin in 1900 and include images of buildings, structures, ships, harbors, a sugar factory, the Kilauea Volcano, mills, and the "Rainbow Bridge" near Hilo, which Van Tassell was involved in building. Other images document Van Tassell's friends and family, as well as his wedding trip to Laredo, Texas. The album also contains photographs from Mexico City, Havana, and various travels in the United States. Van Tassell has included tickets from bull fights and musical programs in Mexico City. The photographs are captioned and dated. Three loose postcards found in this album have been placed in a folder. The second, smaller album consists of photographs taken of the Panama Canal.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Collection is arranged in one series.
Series 1, Photograph Albums, 1900-1956

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Engineer Arthur Ray Van Tassell was born September 22, 1882, in Pontiac, Michigan to Edson D. Van Tassell (1850-1947) and Emma Jennie Wilbur (1856-1931). In 1900, Van Tassell took his first engineering job in Honolulu, Hawaii at the age of seventeen. He went to Mexico City to help build the Central Post Office in 1902. Van Tassell also worked on the Panama Canal and was employed as an engineer during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. He married Leona Mccarstle (1884- ) and to the union one daughter, Janet, was born on September 9, 1904. In October 1956, VanTassell married his second wife Isabel M. Hagan in Pinellas, Florida. Van Tassell died on May 12, 1975, in Saint Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida at the age of ninety-three.
Source: ancestry.com

Administration

Author
Kiley Orchard and Vanessa Broussard-Simmons
Immediate Source of Acquisiton
This collection was donated to the National Museum of American History's Division of Engineering and Industry by Paul Jackson, 1987.
Ownership and Custodial History
Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Engineering and Industry in 2007.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Kiley Orchard, intern, 2008; supervised by Vanessa Broussard-Simmons archivist, 2008.

Digital Content

A.R. Van Tassell Photograph Albums
A.R. Van Tassell Photograph Albums
See all digital content in NMAH.AC.1015

Using the Collection

Restrictions on 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
A. R. Van Tassell Photograph Album, 1900-1956, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
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
Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
W. P. Stine Panama Canal Papers, NMAH.AC.1039
John Frances Little Panama Canal Scrapbook, NMAH.AC.0708
Photograph Albums, NMAH.AC.0708
Katherine Kingsford Panama Canal Photograph Album, NMAH.AC.1040

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Mexico Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hawaii Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Havana (Cuba) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hawaii -- Oahu -- Honolulu Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hawaii -- Hawaii -- Hilo Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Engineers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cuba -- Havana Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Harbors -- Hawaii Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Harbors -- Cuba Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bullfights -- Mexico Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Canals -- Panama Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Castles -- Cuba Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cuba Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kilauea Volcano (Hawaii.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Honolulu (Hawaii) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hilo (Hawaii) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bridges -- Hawaii Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photograph albums -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Panama Canal (Panama) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Panama Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sugar -- Hawaii Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sugar -- Cuba Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pyramids -- Mexico Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs -- Black-and-white photoprints -- Silver gelatin -- 20th century Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Work and Industry Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Engineering 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