George W. Hewitt Negatives and Transparencies
Scope and Contents
Negatives and transparencies of photographs taken by amateur photographer George W. Hewitt between 1896 and 1916. Images are primarily on glass, with a small number on nitrate film base. Hewitt explored various photography techniques, some of which are explicitly noted on the image. Some images are present in multiple copies and formats. Transparencies may have been intended for use as lantern slides, but are mostly unmounted.
The images are primarily taken in Europe, with some taken in the United States and India. Hewitt was an architect and many of the photographs focus on buildings and architectural details.
Dates
- circa 1896-1916
Creator
- Hewitt, George Watson, 1841-1916 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
There is no restriction on access to the collection for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes.
Conditions Governing Use
Requests for permission to publish material from the collection should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Biographical / Historical
George Watson Hewitt (1841-1916) was an American architect and avid amateur photographer. George Hewitt worked as an architect from 1857 to 1907 and was partner in a variety of firms, including Fraser, Furness & Hewitt; Furness & Hewitt; and G. W. & W. D. Hewitt, which specialized in churches, hotels and large residences. Following his retirement in 1907, George Hewitt continued pursuing his hobbies of astronomy and photography from his home in Burlington, New Jersy and during extensive travels. George Hewitt died on May 12, 1916.
Extent
4 Linear feet (4 archive boxes, 5 photo boxes, 1 negative file box, 1 flat box )
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Negatives and transparencies, primarily on glass, of photographs taken by amateur photographer George W. Hewitt between 1896 and 1916. The images were primarily taken in Europe, with some taken in the United States and India. Hewitt was an architect and many of the photographs focus on buildings and architectural details.
Arrangement
Due to the lack of subject and date information for the majority of the images in this collection, the collection is organized primarily by image type and secondarily by size. In Series 1 and 2, where information about subject matter and date are available they are noted at the sub-series level. In Series 3, images are listed at the item level using original titles.
The collection is organized into three series:
- Series 1: Glass Transparencies
- Series 2: Glass Negatives
- Series 3: Nitrate Negatives
Custodial History
This collection was transferred to Archives and Special Collection from the Mead Art Museum after 1991. The Mead Art Museum has no provenance information but presumes that the collection was inherited from the Amherst College Art Department in the 1940s. It is unclear how this collection came to Amherst College.
Processing Information
The George W. Hewitt Negatives and Transparencies were recieved in the 1990s from the Mead Art Museum. When recieved, most of the images were stored in wooden crates separated by sheets of glassine and had no apparent order. They were rehoused and ordered by size and type between 2016 and 2018.
- Europe -- Pictorial works Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Glass plate negatives Subject Source: Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Lantern slides Subject Source: Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Mariah Leavitt, Preservation Specialist
- Date
- 2018
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Repository
Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Robert Frost Library
61 Quadrangle Drive
Amherst MA 01002-5000
(413) 542-2299
archives@amherst.edu