Call Number:

V60

Repository:

Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Extent:

17.3 linear feet (; 56 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

[Description and date of item], Penrose Boies pictorial Philadelphia collection, 1852-1992, [Box/folder number], Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Date:

1852-1992 (inclusive)

Creator:

Penrose, Boies, 1902-1976

Form:

Photographs.

Abstract:

Boies Penrose II (1902-1976) was a Philadelphia collector, writer and lecturer, and president of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. He established the Boies Penrose fund for the collecting of photographs of old Philadelphia. The Boies Penrose pictorial collection is one of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's best collections on Philadelphia's architectural history. The photographs depict a wide variety of subjects. Of particular interest are the photographs of Old City buildings that were demolished to build the Ben Franklin Bridge as well as the area demolished to build the Convention Center. There are also a number of photographs of the Centennial International Exhibition in 1876.

Boies Penrose II (1902-1976) was a Philadelphia collector, writer and lecturer, and a nephew of U.S. Senator Boies Penrose (1860-1921). Throughout his life, Boies Penrose II was fortunate to have sufficient funds, and "never engaging in business, [he] devoted his life to scholarly pursuits, becoming a collector of books, manuscripts and maps of a geographical nature relating ot Tudor and Stuart times," (Wainwright, 391). He was an active member of Philadelphia's intellectual community, serving on the boards of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia, the Library Company of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Zoological Society.

At the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Penrose served as board member, vice-president, president (1961-1974) and president emeritus. According to Wainwright, "early in his career with the Society, he established the Boies Penrose fund for the collecting of photographs of Old Philadelphia, which eventuated into an immensely valuable collection" (393).

Wainwright, Nicholas. "Boise Penrose, 1902-1976." The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 100, no. 3 (July 1976): 390-394.

The Boies Penrose pictorial collection is one of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's best collections on Philadelphia's architectural history. The photographs depict a wide variety of subjects. A majority of the collection is of residences, streets, and historical buildings. There are some photographs of cities and towns as well as transportation, hotels, mills, ships, and theatres. There are some views of everyday life represented by sports, recreation and people at work. Of particular interest are the photographs of Old City buildings that were demolished to build the Ben Franklin Bridge as well as the area demolished to build the Convention Center. In addition there are a number of photographs of the Centennial International Exhibition in 1876.

The photographs include albumen prints, salt prints, stereoviews, and others. Some of the photographers include Philip B. Wallace, Walter H. Snow, Joseph V. Labolito, and Frederick DeBourg Richards. Also most of the originals of the Gilliams & Stratton Collection have been integrated into this collection.

This collection is arranged in three series: "Small photographs" (Boxes 31-51), "Medium photographs" (Boxes 1-30), and "Other photographs and publications" (Boxes 52-56). The photographs are arranged by subject, such as "City Hall," "Portraits," or "Friends Meetings"; or by address, such as "8th S.E. Corner" or "5th & Arch." Each photograph series is partly arranged in alphabetical order. The "Other photographs and publications" series contains photographic prints of drawings by Frank H. Taylor arranged alphabetically by subject (Boxes 54-55) or street names (Box 56), a small assortment of publications (Box 53), and a box containing lantern slides (Box 52).

This collection provides researchers with a wealth of information related to nineteenth and early twentieth century Philadelphia. It would also be of value to researchers interested in the more general topics of architecture, early photography, and everyday life from the late 1800s through the twentieth century.

Sources: Bryn Mawr University. "Bryn Mawr Description of HSP Collections with Philadelphia-Area Images." Bryn Mawr University, http://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/colls/hspcolls.html (accessed July 12, 2010). The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. "Architectural Resources: Historical Society of Pennsylvania." The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=118 (accessed July 12, 2010).