Arthur C. Haskell photographic collection, 1910s-1930s
Description:
The Arthur C. Haskell Photographic Collection is comprised of approximately 3,000 original prints and negatives. Nearly all of the negatives have been printed. Haskell was one of the major architectural photographers in New England, making capturing the visual aspects of buildings and structures his specialization. The printed portions consist of work which Haskell prepared for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in Massachusetts in the 1930s, documenting a wide range of surviving seventeenth to early-nineteenth-century buildings throughout the state. These include exterior elevations, details, and many interiors, well lit and composed, without sacrificing their documentary utility. The HABS catalogue to Massachusetts provides an indication of the scope of Haskell's historic work. In addition to his prints, the collection contains a set of forty-five notebooks of his photographs, arranged by HABS number. An index furnishes access by localities and building types. Both the catalogue and index are available in the Library and Archives. Haskell's unprinted negatives include commissioned photographs for several Boston area businesses, banks, museums, hospitals, schools, and manufacturing firms, most of them taken approximately in the period of 1918 to 1924. Among these buildings are: the Salada Tea Building; Museum of Natural History; Massachusetts General Hospital; Shawmut, First National, and Five Cent Savings Banks; Revere Sugar Refinery under construction; Brown Durrell store; and many others. These images are particularly notable for their coverage of interior work spaces, from boardrooms to basements. Source: Guide to the Library and Archives, 6-7 and 23.
