Boston Public Library
Leslie Jones Collection

Detail from:
Leslie Jones with Graflex in tarp at Fenway
Modest about his abilities as a photographer (he called himself a camera-man, not a photo-journalist), Jones quietly built an unrivaled collection of photographic negatives, almost 40,000 of which were given to the Boston Public Library by his family in the early 1970s. The collection is a stunning pictorial document of the history of Boston in the 20th century, and a tribute to the craft and artistry of a man who, by doing his job, preserved the past on glass and film. Without his family's generosity and their recognition of the importance of his work, the Leslie Jones Collection would not exist and an important piece of the public record would not be available to the public. The photographs were given to the Boston Public Library so that they could be seen by anyone who wanted to see them.
Staff photographer for the Boston Herald-Traveler from 1917 to 1956, Jones graduated from the Farm & Trade School on Thompson Island. Although interested in photography from his school days, Jones first worked as a pattern-maker. He freelanced as a photographer for several years while working in a Boston factory, but after losing two fingers to the machinery he joined the Herald-Traveler staff full-time. In his 39 years at the newspaper, Jones covered everything from a fox stuck in a tree on the Boston Common to Lindbergh's U.S. tour after the aviator crossed the Atlantic. His photographs document both the usual and the unusual in the daily life of Boston.
Critical funding to support long-term preservation of and enhanced public access to Boston Public Library collections, including this one, was provided by the Associates of the Boston Public Library.
Staff photographer for the Boston Herald-Traveler from 1917 to 1956, Jones graduated from the Farm & Trade School on Thompson Island. Although interested in photography from his school days, Jones first worked as a pattern-maker. He freelanced as a photographer for several years while working in a Boston factory, but after losing two fingers to the machinery he joined the Herald-Traveler staff full-time. In his 39 years at the newspaper, Jones covered everything from a fox stuck in a tree on the Boston Common to Lindbergh's U.S. tour after the aviator crossed the Atlantic. His photographs document both the usual and the unusual in the daily life of Boston.
Critical funding to support long-term preservation of and enhanced public access to Boston Public Library collections, including this one, was provided by the Associates of the Boston Public Library.
Series in this Collection:
Locations in this Collection:
Browse by:
- Baseball players2,766
- Naval yards & naval stations1,353
- Fenway Park (Boston, Mass.)1,296
- Boston Red Sox (Baseball team)1,277
- Parks1,230
- Sailing1,152
- Traffic accidents1,137
- Sailboats1,067
- North and Central America11,530
- United States11,494
- Massachusetts10,322
- Suffolk (county)8,532
- Boston8,110
- Allston922
- Middlesex (county)686
- Public Garden583
- Photographs39,928
Current results range from 1896 to 1965
- Accidents: Auto1,121
- Accidents: Miscellaneous120
- Accidents: Train & Trolley362
- Airships2
- Animals: Birds438
- Animals: Dogs & Cats278
- Animals: Farm & Domestic204
- Animals: Franklin Park Zoo411
- Animals: Horses113
- Animals: Miscellaneous395
- Architectural Details701
- Art & Artifacts417
- Aviation: Accidents177
- Aviation: Blimps & Zeppelins176
- Aviation: Boardman, Earhart & Grayson105
- Aviation: Byrd [Admiral Richard E.]281
- Aviation: Lindbergh [Charles]343
- Aviation: Miscellaneous603
- Aviation: World & Bremen Fliers76
- Boston: Boston in Winter318
- Boston: Bridges32
- Boston: Cemeteries129
- Boston: Churches434
- Boston: Colleges & Universities317
- Boston: Commercial Buildings384
- Boston: Construction [Central Artery]225
- Boston: General Views315
- Boston: Markets [Market District]156
- Boston: Neighborhoods285
- Boston: Parks1,028
- Boston: Public Buildings390
- Boston: Statues & Monuments235
- Boston: Street Views313
- Boston: Waterfront298
- Crime/Police: Millen-Faber [Murder Case]330
- Crime/Police: Miscellaneous806
- Crime/Police: Police Miscellaneous134
- Crime/Police: Prohibition87
- Events: Circus, Rodeo, etc.197
- Events: Miscellaneous & Unidentified305
- Events: Parades: Identified189
- Events: Parades: Unidentified148
- Farming96
- Fire Dept: Fireboats123
- Fire Dept: Miscellaneous224
- Fires: Boston Neighborhoods171
- Fires: Boston Proper205
- Fires: Massachusetts272
- Fires: Out-of-State58
- Fires: Unidentified181
- Leslie Jones Related679
- Maritime: Accidents532
- Maritime: Boat & Ship Building65
- Maritime: Coast Guard271
- Maritime: Fishing Industry692
- Maritime: Ice-Covered Fishing Boats478
- Maritime: Leviathan [SS Leviathan]297
- Maritime: Miscellaneous1,727
- Maritime: Sailing Ships325
- Maritime: Submarines443
- Maritime: USS Constitution589
- Mass Views: Beaches204
- Mass Views: Identified502
- Mass Views: Miscellaneous & Unidentified60
- Military428
- Miscellaneous626
- Nightlife157
- Out of State: Miscellaneous409
- Out of State: New England223
- People: Identified1,785
- People: Indians [Native Americans]90
- People: Miscellaneous & Unidentified1,648
- People: Presidents414
- Sports: Identified [Auto Racing]27
- Sports: Identified [Badminton]2
- Sports: Identified [Baseball]3,276
- Sports: Identified [Basketball]199
- Sports: Identified [Bicycling]4
- Sports: Identified [Boxing]375
- Sports: Identified [Diving]4
- Sports: Identified [Field Hockey]3
- Sports: Identified [Football]913
- Sports: Identified [Golf]758
- Sports: Identified [Hockey]325
- Sports: Identified [Horse]771
- Sports: Identified [Ice Sailing]9
- Sports: Identified [Lacrosse]4
- Sports: Identified [Marathon]123
- Sports: Identified [Motorcycle Racing]1
- Sports: Identified [Recreation]204
- Sports: Identified [Rowing]135
- Sports: Identified [Sailing]1,847
- Sports: Identified [Skating]101
- Sports: Identified [Soccer]4
- Sports: Identified [Squash]32
- Sports: Identified [Swimming]128
- Sports: Identified [Tennis]612
- Sports: Identified [Track and Field]249
- Sports: Identified [Wrestling]28
- Sports: Miscellaneous & Unidentified173
- Transportation380
- War Days715
- Weather: Cold & Snow236
- Weather: Hot2
- Weather: Storms & Flooding893