Call Number:

PA.219

Repository:

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Extent:

8.75 linear ft. (10 boxes)

Language:

English

Date:

circa 1900-1920 (inclusive)

Abstract:

This is a collection of glass lantern slides, originally owned by Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (CPMM), and likely compiled by the Philadelphia Young Friends' Association. Most slides depict Quaker meetinghouses, portraits of Quakers, slides of Quaker conferences, or topics relating to Quakerism in the United Kingdom.

This collection seems to have been compiled by Philadelphia Young Friends' Association (PYFA). PYFA was a Hicksite organization established in 1888 for educational and social purposes. It established and operated The Whittier, a hotel and social center in Philadelphia, which stood where Friends Center now stands. The name of PYFA was changed in 1957 to The Whittier Association. In 1971, The Whittier was sold to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, and in 1974 its assets were merged with Trustees of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.

This is a collection of glass lantern slides, donated to the Friends Historical Library by Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (CPMM). It seems to have been compiled by Philadelphia Young Friends' Association, possibly as entertainment for the members of the PYFA at various gatherings. Most slides depict Quaker meetinghouses, portraits of Quakers, slides of Quaker conferences, or topics relating to Quakerism in the United Kingdom. The lantern slides are primarily photographs of subjects, as well as illustrations, silhouettes, and photographs of statues or busts.

The "Meetinghouses" series includes exterior and interior photographs of meetinghouses, mainly Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Most of the photographs were taken from 1890-1900 by Gilbert Cope.

The "Portraits" series includes portraits of Friends from the same period and notable Quaker figures from before the 20th century.

The "Quakerism in the UK" series includes images of and relating to Quaker sites in England, including Swarthmoor Hall.

The "Conference" series is comprised of photographs taken at Friends conferences in Swarthmore, PA (1896), Richmond IN, (1898), and Chautauqua. NY (1900).

The "Various" series includes other miscellaneous or unidentified slides, including residences, maps, and floor plans.

Of special interest are a portrait of Wilson Chinn, a formerly enslaved person who was branded with his enslaver's initials and whose portraits were circulated during the abolitionist movement; slides of maps indicating George Fox's travels through England and Europe; and portraits of To-hee (Brier), an Iowa chief.

In the finding aid, all slides are arranged alphabetically by title within four series: "Meetinghouses", "Portraits", "Quakerism in the UK", "Conferences", and "Various". The "Conferences" series is further divided into subseries for each of three conferences. The "Meetinghouses" series is organized alphabetically by meeting name. The "Portraits" series is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the subject; where there is more than one subject, the first listed subject's surname is used.

In the physical boxes, the slides are sorted by their original identifiers: MH-1 through MH-496 and P-1 through P-124. These identifiers are listed alongside the titles slides in the finding aid.