William Welling Papers

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Restrictions:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Terms of access:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Preferred citation:

William Welling Papers, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
5.40 Linear Feet
Creator:
Welling, William Blodget, 1924-2006
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

William Welling Papers, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The papers of William Welling document his career as a photographic historian. Welling worked as a journalist for the Hamden Chronicle from 1949-1950 and several of his articles are included in the collection. Series 2 holds correspondence between Welling and prominent photographic historians Helmut Gernsheim (1913-1995) of Lugano, Switzerland and George R. Rinhart. Series 3 includes Welling's extensive collection of photographic history research primarily on the 19th century for his books A Collector's Guide to Nineteenth Century Photographs (1976) and Photography in America: The Formative Years, 1839-1900 (1978). Series 4 and 5 are papers related to the production, promotion, and sale of these two works, while series 6 includes copies of photographs and negatives used for the books. Series 7 includes several years worth of photographic history journals the majority of which are "Photographica" and "In Focus." Series 8 and 9 include research related to other book projects that Welling aspired to write, but did not complete.

Helmut Gernsheim (1913-1995). Also includes newspaper clippings related to Gernsheim, two photographs of Gernsheim and his 1995 obituary.

also includes a 1971, 8x10 photograph of George R. Rinhart

also includes articles and photographs of Rinhart's trip to diplomatic trip to Rhodesia

William Welling was named as an executor, George Rinhart given photograph collection

Scope and Contents "Instantaneous"/Candid, Amateur, Panormic Photos, Movie Stills

Viewing Devices, Woodcuts, Photomechanical Printing, Photolithography, Woodburytypes, Callotypes, Albertypes

Artotypes, Heliotypes, Photoengraving, Photogravure, Halftone, Rapid Photo

Calotypes, Plain Paper Prints, Albumen Prints, Carbon Prints

Emulsion Papers, Bachrach Articles, Bromide Prints, Aristotypes, Cyanotypes, Platinum Prints, Gum Prints, In-Camera Positives

Fading of Prints, Paper Stock, Ivorytypes, Specialty Photos, Print Development, Restoration of Old Photographs

Talbot Process, Le Gray Process, Albumen (Niepce), Albumen (U.S.), Collodion (Europe), Collodion (U.S.), Dry Plate (Europe)

Dry Plate (U.S.), Negative Development, Film Photography,Technical Articles 19th Cen. Processes

Nineteenth Century

Lenses

Shutters, Exposure Meters, Enlarging

Thomas Y. Crowell Company, Lippincott, Harper & Row

Contains several issues of Photographica, a Journal of the Photographic Society of New York. Multiple copies exist for some issues. Also includes several copies of the Amreican Photographic Historical Society's In Focus as well as few assorted others.

Photohistory 1973 Photographic Historical Society Symposium, 1970 The Photographist, Summer 1978 The Photograph Collector, 2004

Includes genealogy information for William Welling

also see books listed under separated material above

Macmillan Publishing Company, 204 pages

Scope and Contents Hardback - Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 446 pages

Scope and Contents Paperback - University of New Mexico Press, 431 pages

Biographical / historical:

William Blodget Welling of New York City was born February 20, 1924 to Lindsay H. Welling (1892-1975) and Lucy Randolph Blodget (1889-1957). He worked as a journalist for the Hamden Chronicle from 1949-1950. Welling was a photographic historian. William Welling died April 15, 2006.

Custodial history:

The collection was consigned to Swann Auction Gallery in New York City by a family member who was executor of the estate of William Welling. The donor purchased it from Swann Auction Gallery and it was donated to the Special Collections Research Center in 2010, "a few years later."

Processing information:

Processed and finding aid written by Austin William Smith in February and March 2011.