Call Number:

01

Repository:

Upper Darby Historical Society

Extent:

21.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1905-1917 (bulk) and 1900-1982 (inclusive)

Creator:

Eichholtz, Edward Clyde, 1875-1963

Abstract:

Edward Clyde Eichholtz (1875-1963) was an amateur photographer from Drexel Hill, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The E.C. Eichholtz glass negatives, circa 1905-1982 (bulk 1905-1917), consist of approximately 1000 negatives taken by Eichholtz that document the people, landscapes, buildings/properties, events, and railroads in the area of Drexel Hill. Other geographic areas that are documented include Blair County (Pa.), Philadelphia, parts of New Jersey, and Niagara Falls. The collection also includes some paper prints, background history on Eichholtz, and partial inventories created by Eichholtz.

Edward Clyde Eichholtz (1875-1963) was an amateur photographer from Drexel Hill, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Born in Frankstown, Blair County, Pa., to George Maxwell Eichholtz (1849-1922) and Ellen Loudon (1851-1921), Edward moved to Philadelphia in 1898 and graduated from Pierce Business School. He worked as an accountant for Bernstein, Baum, and DeCosta, manufacturers of women's clothing. He married Bertha Lydia Cooper (1874-1964), whom he knew from his home town, in 1900. They had three children: Janice Faith Eichholtz (b. 1905), James D Eichholtz (b. 1906), and Esther Elizabeth Eichholtz (1908-1950). In 1911, the family moved to the small community of Drexel Hill. They finally settled in Media, Pa.

Eichholtz was a Mason and charter member of the Craftsmen Club. He was also a member of the Garrettford Baptist Church, now the Drexel Hill Church of the Brethren. Later, he joined the Temple Lutheran Church in Philadelphia where he was very active in the camera club.

Eichholtz purchased his first camera in 1895. He developed all of his plates in darkrooms in his home, and also invented and built his own enlarger and did some watercolor tinting. Eichholtz photographed the buildings, landscapes, people, and events in Drexel Hill and more broadly the Upper Darby area as well as Philadelphia and Fairmount Park (especially the Cobbs Creek and Wissahickon areas). As a hobby, Eichholtz photographed all 26 houses that were located in Drexel Hill at the time as well as new homes being built. Eichholtz also documented his family's many vacations, including trips to Laurel Lake and Ocean City, N.J. and Niagara Falls.

Bibliography:

DiFilippo, Tom. "E.C. Eichholtz--photographer." News of Delaware County. July 30, 1986. Clipping found in collection.

This collection consists of approximately 1000 glass plate negatives taken by E.C. Eichholtz that document the people, landscapes, buildings/properties, events (including baseball games), and railroads in the Drexel Hill area of Delaware County (Pa.). There are also some photographs of Edward's family. Other geographic areas that are documented include Blair County, Pa. (his parents' farm); Philadelphia, including Fairmount Park, particularly the Cobbs Creek and Wissahickon areas; and places where the family vacationed, including Laurel Lake, Ocean City, and the Pine Barrens in New Jersey, and Niagara Falls.

The collection includes paper prints for only some of Eichholtz's negatives. There is also background history on the photographer, including newspaper clippings and two audiocassettes of an interview with his daughter, Janice E. Rodriguez, in 1982.

Several handwritten inventories created by Eichholtz covering part of the collection are available on-site.

There is also an item-level inventory for this collection, below. It is organized into six series, primarily based on location: "I. Upper Darby," "II. Eichholz Family," "III. Pine Beach, New Jersey," "IV. Blair County, Pennsylvania," "V. Eichholz Vacations," and "VI. Philadelphia and Rural Scenes."