Call Number:

29

Repository:

Philadelphia History Museum

Extent:

1.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1800-1945 (bulk 1890-1945)

Creator:

Jackson, Joseph F. A., 1867-1946

Abstract:

Joseph Francis Ambrose Jackson (1867-1946) was an historian, lecturer, artist, and writer active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jackson wrote numerous articles for the Public Ledger relating to Philadelphia history and architecture, and authored several books and writings in other publications on the same subject. The Joseph F. A. Jackson papers, circa 1800-1945 (bulk 1890-1945), consist largely of scrapbooks and photographs. Some prints, drawings, and watercolors; books, pamphlets, and magazines; and a small amount of materials related to Jackson's books such as manuscripts and galleys are also present in the collection.

Joseph Francis Ambrose Jackson (1867-1946) was an historian, lecturer, artist, and writer active in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jackson wrote numerous articles for the Public Ledger relating to Philadelphia history and architecture and authored several books and writings in other publications on the same subject, including Literary Landmarks of Philadelphia (1939), Encyclopedia of Philadelphia (1931), Early Philadelphia Architects and Engineers (1923), and Market Street, Philadelphia: The Most Historic Highway in America: Its Merchants and Its Story (1918). Many of Jackson's books were first published as series in other publications such as the Public Ledger or the trade publication Building, for which he served as editor for a time. Jackson also contributed to or collaborated with others on several other publications relating to Philadelphia.

Jackson lived with his mother, Barbara, until her death in 1914. The following year, Jackson married Harriet Fletcher.

This collection consists largely of scrapbooks and photographs. Some prints, drawings, and watercolors; books, pamphlets, and magazines; and a small amount of materials related to Jackson's books such as manuscripts and galleys are also present in the collection. The scrapbooks date from 1891 to 1942, number about a dozen, and contain newspaper clippings, loose correspondence, playbills, notes on the history of Philadelphia and genealogy of some residents, and other materials. The clippings are mostly columns related to Philadelphia history that Jackson contributed to the Public Ledger and other publications, but clippings relating to current Philadelphia events are also present. There are nearly 300 photographs, dating from about 1900 to 1940, that depict historic sites and buildings in Philadelphia. The images are organized into three groupings: Center City, Historic buildings including Germantown, and Neighborhoods and row houses. The photographs are labeled with information about the buildings and locations, such as the names of significant individuals who lived there and information about that person. It is likely that some of these photographs accompanied the books and articles that Jackson wrote or to which he contributed. Items in the collection that pre-date Jackson's career are mostly books or other materials he likely collected throughout his lifetime.

An item-level inventory is available on-site.