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Collection of Glass Plate Negatives

PhotographerPhotographed by Henry Lucius Hotchkiss American, 1842 - 1930

Date1884-1886

MediumPhotography; negative emulsion on glass

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (negative height x width): 8 x 10in. (20.3 x 25.4cm)

ClassificationsGraphics

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Stuart T. Hotchkiss

DescriptionNegatives documenting the family life of the photographer, Henry Lucius Hotchkiss (1842-1930), his wife, Jane Trowbridge Hotchkiss (Jennie), their daughters, Helen Trowbridge Hotchkiss and Elizabeth Trowbridge Hotchkiss (Elsie), their son, Henry Stuart Hotchkiss (Stuart), and other relatives and friends. Included are views of the exterior and interior of the family homes on Hillhouse Avenue and Temple Street, New Haven. Interiors include children's toys, gaslight fixtures, potted plants, ornamental screens, musical instruments such as banjos, and various furniture. Exteriors include views of the porches, lawn, trellis, fences, and trees, notably elm trees. Children are shown with sleds, tennis rackets, and baseball bats. A few negatives were taken at other locations in Connecticut, including Whitney Lake in Whitneyville (Hamden), Roaring Brook in Cheshire, and Litchfield. Other negatives were taken during family vacations at Little Boar's Head and Rye Beach, New Hampshire; Longwood, New Jersey; and in the Adirondacks. Some views include Adirondack-style rustic furniture, canoes, hammocks, horse-drawn vehicles, platform tents, or yachts.

Object number2002.82.1-.300

InscribedEnvelopes and labels with the photographer's pencil inscriptions have been saved in the object file.NotesHistorical Note: These negatives where found in the Hotchkiss family barn in 2002 by Jane Trowbridge Hotchkiss, the great granddaughter of the original photographer, Henry Lucius Hotchkiss (1842-1930). Jane Trowbridge Hotchkiss cleaned the negatives and printed them.

Subject Note: Henry Lucius Hotchkiss was president of L. Candee & Co., a New Haven rubber company, and the Union Trust Company and a descendant of Samuel Hotchkiss, one of the original New Haven planters. His wife, Jane Louisa Fitch Trowbridge, was the granddaughter of Noah Webster.

Technical Note: A few plates have positive images on them. According to June Mary Blagden Hotchkiss, similar transparencies were formerly displayed in the windows of a family home.