Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Form Photographs.

Marshall Curtis Brown Collection, 1912-1914 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2 boxes and 1.45 linear feet
Abstract:: Consists chiefly of correspondence of Marshall Brown with members of his family during World War I. Also included are manuscript maps and photographs from the war.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

Lawrence Rauch Papers, circa 1932-1951 (inclusive)

Extent:: 3 boxes
Abstract:: Lawrence Rauch was a Princeton University graduate student (Ph.D. Mathematics, 1949) and a pioneer in the field of radio telemetry. The bulk of the collection consists of letters written home by Rauch during his time as a graduate student at Princeton from 1941 to 1949, which document Princeton academics and student life as well as Rauch's work in radio telemetry, and include references to his defense work for the United States government.

Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]

Princeton at the World's Columbian Exhibition Records, 1893 (inclusive)

Extent:: 4 boxes and 1 folder
Abstract:: Princeton University, then known as the College of New Jersey at Princeton, mounted an exhibition booth at the World's Columbian Exposition, a world's fair held in Chicago from May to October 1893. The collection includes three certificates from the U.S. Congress honoring Princeton for the exhibit, three copies of a photograph of Dr. and Mrs. McCosh seated in the exhibit booth, a written proposal for the exhibit, layout plans for the exhibit, and two bound registers containing the autographs and home cities of visitors to the exhibit.

Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]

Archivo de Alma Concepción, 1939-2021 (inclusive)

Extent:: 15.0 linear feet ((12 containers))
Abstract:: El archivo de Alma Concepción consiste principalmente en 43 álbumes de la bailarina, educadora y coreógrafa puertorriqueña Alma Concepción, que contienen fotografías, recortes, programas, cartas, tarjetas postales, folletos, material de difusión y memorabilia. También incluye escritos de Alma Concepción, material de investigación, imágenes digitales, recuerdos, afiches y partituras musicales.

Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

Wister and Butler Families Papers, 1700-2004, undated; bulk: 1848-1907

Extent:: 21.5 linear feet (; 46 boxes, 55 volumes, 17 flat files)
Abstract:: The Wister and Butler families were prominent in Philadelphia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and had ties to numerous other prominent families in the Philadelphia region, Georgia, and Great Britain. The bulk of the collection concerns Pierce (Mease) Butler and his daughters Sarah Butler Wister and Frances Anne Butler Leigh. Butler's former wife Frances Anne Kemble (Butler), known as Fanny Kemble, and various other family members are also represented. The bulk of the collection is correspondence and estate papers; it also includes diaries, newspapers and newspaper clippings, business papers, real estate papers, ledgers and other financial documents, photographs, and other miscellaneous papers. The collection provides insights into a wide variety of topics, including women's history, the Civil War, African American history, family history, politics, culture, and the life of actress Fanny Kemble and her daughters. The materials concerning the Butler plantations both before...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania records, 1959-1987 (bulk) 1867-1991 (inclusive)

Extent:: 134.6 linear feet (; 343 boxes)
Abstract:: The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania was established in 1920 as a successor organization to the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association, with the purpose of providing "education to increase the effectiveness of women voters and to further better government." The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania records document the history of this organization from 1867 to 1980, but the bulk of the material dates from 1959 to 1977. The majority of the materials consists of minutes, newsletters, reports and memorabilia. There is a small amount of early material, particularly relating to the suffrage movement. Of particular interest may be the photographs of the 1915 Women's Liberty Bell Tour in support of the vote.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

John Wanamaker collection, 1827-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:: 193.2 linear feet (; 316 volumes, 438 boxes)
Abstract:: John Wanamaker (1838-1922) was a well-known merchant, entrepreneur, and lifelong resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was active in the city's religious, political, and philanthropic areas, founded several Presbyterian churches and Sunday schools, and served as postmaster general under President Benjamin Harrison from 1889 to 1893. He opened his first Philadelphia clothing store, Oak Hall, with partner Nathan Brown in 1861, and founded John Wanamaker and Co. in 1869. In 1876, he opened "A New Kind of Store" known as the Grand Depot at Thirteenth and Market Streets. This store later became the flagship store, with satellite stores eventually established in central and southeastern Pennsylvania, as well as New Jersey, Delaware, and New York City. Wanamaker was at the forefront in many areas of retailing including merchandising, employee relations and advertising. His sons Thomas B. Wanamaker and L. Rodman Wanamaker were also active in the business. Thomas ran John Wanamaker and...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Mutual Assurance Company (Green Tree) records, 1784-1995 (inclusive)

Extent:: 455.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The Mutual Assurance Company for Insuring Houses from Loss by Fire was organized in Philadelphia in 1784, in order to make fire insurance available to those citizens who wished to have trees in front of their houses. A group of sixty-one men met on July 8, 1784 at the City (or London) Coffee House and agreed to create a new mutual fire insurance company. A deed of settlement was adopted and a green tree was selected as a symbol to appear on the company's policies and fire marks. The company archives of The Mutual Assurance Company, familiarly known as the Green Tree, consist of financial accounts and receipts, correspondence, histories, cancelled insurance surveys and policies, and miscellaneous material. The records date from the formation of the company in 1784 to 1995.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle papers, 1938-1961 (bulk) 1912-1961, undated (inclusive)

Extent:: 40.0 linear feet (; 109 boxes)
Abstract:: Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, Jr. (1896-1961) was very active in Democratic politics, including serving as associate secretary of the Democratic National Convention in 1936. His activity in the political arena led to several appointments as a diplomatic officer. He served as minister to Norway, 1935-37, and ambassador to Poland, (1937-Sept. 9, 1939). After the invasion of Poland by the Germans, Biddle accompanied the Polish government to France, where he served as interim ambassador to France and ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the United States to the governments of Poland, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Greece, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Luxembourg. He resigned from diplomatic service in 1944, and then served in various positions with the U.S. Army, including as a staff member to General Dwight Eisenhower and General Matthew Ridgway. From 1955 to 1961 he was adjutant general of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and in 1961 served as U.S. ambassador to Spain....(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Richardson Dilworth papers, 1940-1972 (bulk) 1881-2002, undated (inclusive)

Extent:: 87.7 linear feet (; 258 boxes, 19 volumes, 7 flat files)
Abstract:: The papers of Richardson Dilworth include correspondence, office files, accounts, reports, political campaign materials, brochures, pamphlets, scrapbooks, and photographs that primarily pertain to the immediate years before and after he became mayor of Philadelphia (1956-1962). The collection also contains papers related to Dilworth’s role on the Philadelphia Board of Education, his failed run for Pennsylvania governor, and from his law firm Dilworth Paxson LLP.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]