Beattie Children, Narrows Island
SubjectPortrait of
Robert Beattie
American, 1898 - 1992
SubjectPortrait of
Harold John Beattie
American, 1901 - 1951
SubjectPortrait of
Philip Malcolm Beattie
American, 1904 - 1990
SubjectPortrait of
Mildred Beattie
American, 1900 - 1980
Datec. 1905
MediumPhotography; nitrate negatives
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (overall height x width): 4 1/8 × 4 15/16in. (10.4 × 12.6cm)
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineBequest from the Estate of Elizabeth Beattie
DescriptionBlack and white photographic negative of a group of Beattie family children with a dog on the beach, Narrows Island, Guilford, Connecticut. The children have been identified on the negative's envelope as Harold, Phillip Malcolm, Robert, and Mildred [see Inscriptions]. The majority of the group are seated, one child stands behind the rest. There are rock outcroppings and trees in the background.
Object number2023.17.78
CopyrightPublic Domain
Inscribed(.77-.79) Typed on envelope: “NARROWS ISLAND / PERSONNEL / Harold, Phillip Malcolm, Robert, Mildred”Handwritten on envelope beneath typed description: “2 Black girls– 1 worked for mother / + 1 for Trudy Harrison / They came from Union County / Virginia + worked for / 18.00 + board + room / month / 1905–‘06
NotesSubject Note: John Beattie's granite quarry, situated in Guilford on the Long Island Sound, was well-positioned to distribute granite via a fleet of schooners to locations in Connecticut and New York. Notably, granite from Beattie's quarry was used in the pedestal at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
The quarry operated from 1869, when Scottish immigrant Beattie purchased 400 acres of land on Leetes Island, until about 1918, when Beattie's sons closed up shop 20 years after his death. At its height, the quarry employed 700 people, many of them immigrants from Scotland, Ireland, England, Finland, Sweden, and Italy.
On View
Not on view
c. 1905-1910
March 1905
1890-1918
