Collections : [University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.]

This collection contains a brown faux leather photo album (7.25" X 11.25") belonging to Bessie Emanuel. Bessie (1902-1984) was raised in White Plains, New York. She was the first Black woman in her town to attend college, entering the Hampton Institute in Virginia in 1922. The photographs are dated from 1922 to 1924 and capture daily life at the Institute, sports events, friends, and family. Captions are found throughout the album. A picture of Bessie with her family in the Hampton Institute dining room features a poem dedicated to her parents on its reverse. The album was compiled by Black students at Hampton Institute.

The von Lang-Puchhof album (1891-1911; 0.25 cubic feet) consists of 165 racehorse photographs from a golden age of European racing before breeding was disrupted by the Great War. Most of the photographs are of mares, often with foals, in each case fully named with the identity of the sire provided. Two additional photographs are mounted on boards and laid in. The album was apparently compiled by or for owner and breeder, Carl von Lang-Puchhof.

The Charles Beseler Lantern Slide Company salesman sample catalogs (1890s-1920; 1.2 cubic feet) document a portion of the titular company's product line at the turn of the 20th century. The collection consists of ten albums--about 950 lantern slide prints in total--on a variety of topics. Many photographs are of historical and Christian figures, while others range from architecture and engineering diagrams to landscapes and artwork.

The Clinton K. Curtis photograph albums (1880s; 0.5 cubic feet) contain 76 photographs (albumen prints, most mounted, some hand-colored, probably commercially produced and sold) of views and people in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Burma, collected by U.S. Navy officer Clinton K. Curtis.

Evelyn and Viola Wolfe photograph albums (1920-1923; 1 cubic foot) consist of photographs of the sisters' three year trip around the world, two and a half years of which were spent in Japan. The photographs are beautifully arranged and labeled in albums that have a design of Japanese figures on the cloth covers. The photographs show the two sisters engaging with communities abroad and exploring historical sites, war memorials, and major tourist locations from Japan, China, Egypt, Israel,Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, France, Holland, Monte Carlo, England, Scotland, and Canada. Included is an American flag at half-mast for the death of President Harding. Some of the photographs in the albums have images of Great Britain's Royal Family including the Prince of Wales in 1922. There are also post cards, an obituary for Evelyn Wolfe, and a few letters.

Comprises a photographic record of Wehrmacht Gebirgsjagerregiment (German Army Mountain Troops) and Luftwaffe Fallschirmjager training in and around the Berchtesgaden and Obersalzburg area in Bavaria prior to the second World War.

The Farm Life photograph album (1910s; 0.2 cubic feet) depicts many children and family members with farm animals, mostly horses, but cats, dogs, chickens, and one elephant also appear in the images.

This collection contains a photograph album of a student from Hampton Institute. The original photo album, measuring 7' x 10' with 24 pages, contains 44 black and white photographs of an unidentified young Black woman, approximately 20 years old, as well as cut newspaper images and a photo postcard. She is seen at Hampton Institute, a historically Black University, in Hampton, Virginia, posing in front of school buildings, clowning around with friends, and preparing for graduation. Also included are scenic photographs of places she visited such as a dam, a church, and a parade. The last few pages contain family photographs; a couple photographs show her with an elderly woman. Some of the baby photographs are inscribed "To Grandma" and "To Grand Dad" and another is labeled "Me". The identification of the Hampton Institute as the locale comes from a real photo postcard with the title "The Hampton Institute Creative Dance Group" and a newspaper cutout of the Hampton Institute Choir along with the news caption, "They Keep Spiritual Values High at Hampton." It is possible that this album was kept by the grandparent of the young women.

This collection contains the papers and photograph album that documents the life and career of a noted African American horse racing jockey, trainer, and self-taught veterinarian, James Palmer Morgan (1916-2002).He was sought out across the country for his knowledge and was ranked as the 12th driver in the United States in 1955.

The John L. Nau III Civil War History Collection (1806-1988, bulk 1861-1865; 133 cubic feet) contains Civil War-era correspondence, service records, pension records, artifacts, photographs, military records (including orders, requisitions, and correspondence), currency, newspapers, and other print materials.