Hughes photograph collection
Abstract
This collection contains photographs by the Hughes Company, and provides an extensive professional documentation of many aspects of life in Baltimore City and County, and other Maryland counties including Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford, Kent, and St. Mary's. Subjects include street scenes, buildings, shipping, industry, businesses, recreational and sports facilities, portraits, public buildings, residences, churches, hospitals, schools, monuments, and transportation. There are also copy photographs of historical prints, paintings, and documents. The collection dates span 1910-1946.
Dates
- 1910-1946
Creator
- Hughes Company (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use
The reproduction of materials in this collection may be subject to copyright restrictions. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine and satisfy copyright clearances or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information visit the MCHC’s Rights and Permissions page.
Historical Note
The Hughes Company was a commercial photography studio in Baltimore, Maryland which made photographs for corporations, the government, and private individuals. The company was founded by James F. Hughes (d. ca. 1903), who was first listed as a photographer in the Baltimore directory in 1877. In 1889, Hughes advertised his services as a "practical photographer" in the Daily News and operated from quarters at 1414 Patterson Avenue. Many of the company's photographs were made with an 8 x 10 inch view camera.
James Hughes owned the company until the time of his death ca. 1903, when company employee James W. Scott (1878-1953) bought the business from Hughes' widow. The business eventually passed to Scott's son, Gaither Scott. The Hughes Company existed until the late 1970s, when Gaither Scott retired. The company operated at numerous addresses over the years, including 1106 Riggs Avenue (mid 1890s-1902), 17-19 East Baltimore Street (ca. 1904, hence all negatives prior to that date were destroyed in the Baltimore Fire), 108 North Liberty Street (1906-1907), 205 West Fayette Street (1908-1929), 213 West Monument Street (1930-1963), and 115 East 25th Street (after 1963).
Extent
3.96 Linear Feet (9 full Hollinger boxes; 1 half Hollinger box)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The photoprints (both modern and vintage prints) are arranged according to PP catalog number, while negatives are arranged according to a negative cataloging scheme which incorporates the size and the material of the negative. Glass negatives are stored in the glass negative storage area. Nitrate negatives are stored in freezer storage. Please note that nitrate negatives must have time to defrost before digitization or viewing can occur. Please contact the Special Collections Department for more information.
Negatives are identified as PP30, for example, neg Z9.1638.PP30 or duplicate/copy negative Z6.1620.PP30. Photographs are only digitized from originals (negatives).
Vintage prints of nitrate negatives have duplicate/copy negative numbers in the Z6 series written on each print. However, a comparison of these prints to the negatives uncovered that fact they do not correspond. The negative numbers for vintage prints indicated on this container list are for the vintage (mostly nitrate) negatives.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Gaither Scott, 1963.
Scope and Contents
The overall scope of PP8 is 10 boxes containing close to 1,500 images from circa 1910-1946, of which approximately 1,250 are modern prints from vintage glass or film negatives, 50 are vintage prints, and 200 are unprinted vintage negatives. The Hughes Collection provides an extensive professional documentation of many aspects of life in Baltimore city and county, and other Maryland counties.
These materials document life in Baltimore City and County, and other Maryland counties including Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford, and Kent. Baltimore subjects include street scenes, buildings, shipping, industry, businesses, recreational and sports facilities, public buildings, residences, churches, hospitals, schools, monuments, and transportation
There are two sections of the Hughes Collection. The first section, known as PP8, covers dates circa 1910-1946. This section of the collection consists mainly of vintage glass plate negatives for which modern prints were made during the 1980s at the Maryland Historical Society, with some vintage prints and film negatives. The second section of the Hughes Collection, called the Hughes Studio Photograph Collection, which is known as PP30, covers dates circa 1940-1956 and consists of approximately 36,000 film negatives.
Creator
- Hughes Company (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Hughes photograph collection
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- Katherine Cowan
- Date
- 1999-10
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Revision Statements
- 2020-01-15: Manually entered into ArchivesSpace by Mallory Herberger.
- 2022-09-08: Container list added to ArchivesSpace by Emily Somach.
Repository Details
Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750
specialcollections@mdhistory.org