Louis L. McAllister Photographs
Collection Overview
Louis L. McAllister photographed people and places near Burlington, Vermont for 60 years. He was born in Columbus, Nebraska on October 16, 1876, the son of Julius S. McAllister (born 1841 in Lincoln, VT) and Rosette Gould (born in Vermont in 1851)...
Show moreLouis L. McAllister photographed people and places near Burlington, Vermont for 60 years. He was born in Columbus, Nebraska on October 16, 1876, the son of Julius S. McAllister (born 1841 in Lincoln, VT) and Rosette Gould (born in Vermont in 1851). Julius McAllister worked as a photographer and dentist in Washington D.C., Bristol, Vermont and Columbus, Nebraska. Around 1895, Julius, his third wife Amy, and their children left Nebraska for the Union Soldiers’ Colony in Fitzgerald, Georgia. By 1900, Julius and Amy were divorced, and Amy and her stepson Louis were working as photographers in Thomasville, Georgia.
In 1907 Louis McAllister married Cora Shepard (born about 1872 in Vermont) in Holland, Michigan. By 1910, they were living in Queen City Park in South Burlington, Vermont, where Louis established a photography studio. The McAllisters moved to Burlington, and by 1919 they lived at 47 N. Winooski Avenue. They continued to occupy a summer cottage at Queen City Park, and were active in the Queen City Park Association, which held spiritualist camp meetings annually. McAllister conducted his photography business from home until his death in 1963.
McAllister’s “trademark” was his panorama camera which made him familiar to all sorts of groups ranging from graduating classes to state police to summer camp groups. In addition he did print 8 x 10 photos, many of which document building construction and Burlington Street Department projects, as well as group and individual portraits.
The L.L. McAllister Collection includes portraits, construction projects, buildings, businesses and events in the Burlington area covering the period ca. 1920-1960. The collection also includes photos of street, bridge, airport and sewer construction and repair, as well as group portraits of clubs, schools, etc.
Revised April, 2010
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Related Archival Collection
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Undated group portrait photo of seven women formally dressed with corsages standing in front of a landscape mural. Photo 3.
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1945 photo of several men and women at a private dinner. Identity of group, venue, and occasion unknown.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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1949 group photo of young women assembled outside in front of a large brick building. Class portrait? Photo #2.
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1944 outdoor photo of five men. Relationship, location, occasion unknown.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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1937 indoor photo of a large group of men and women dining. Monogram initials overhead. Same distinctive location with decorative lattice work as seen in mcalB15F12i04
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Different view of mcalB15F16i10, with Christmas dinner being held possibly in Southwick Hall Ballroom at UVM. Sailors in uniform can be seen at table on left. Occasion unknown.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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Undated group portrait photo of men and women formally dressed with corsages of various ages gathered in a club or public space. A jute box and piano in background on a stage. An American and other flag also seen. Nursery school images of baby animals attached to back wall. Photo 3.
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1951 or 1952 photo of a group of men and women gathered at a rustic restaurant. Candles, greenery and pine cones decorate the tables. The women wear what may be Christmas corsages. Photo #3.
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1945 photo of what appears to be a business meeting and a presentation pertaining to the Farnsworth Co., which manufactured television receivers "based upon the invention of Philo T. Farnsworth" (NY Times, Mar 28, 1939). The venue is unknown.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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Undated portrait photo of seven women standing in front of a landscape mural. Photo 4.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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1951 portrait of a large group of male employees assembled along side a large brick building; New England Telephone and Telegraph Co.'s new building at 266 Main Street, Burlington, Vt.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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1953 indoor group portrait photo of several men and women gathered at a restaurant. Captain's chairs seen in foreground. Photo #3.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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1951 group of men gathered near tables in a public commercial room with display material set up advertising MoPar Micronic Oil Filters. Photo #1.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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1945 photo of a large group of men and women assembled within what appears to be a small stage. The group dynamic suggests that they are co-workers in a business, possibly with spouses present. Identity of group, venue, and occasion are unknown.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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Undated photo of a group of people gathered outside at night on a bricked patio or terrace. They wear name tags with photos of their younger selves. Class reunion? Photo 1.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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1958 photo of several adults of varying ages seated on the grass. Possibly college summer students. Photo looks to be a closeup of a larger image.
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An outdoor group portrait of an unidentified man and woman with eight children as they stand in a field in front of a large evergreen tree. See same family group in mcalA09F12i34 and mcalA15F02i31, i32, i33, i34, i35
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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Ca. 1945 photo of a group of young women, all dressed very elegantly perhaps for an evening formal or other social occasion. Identity of group, location, occasion unknown.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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1947 photo of several men in suits, seated at a long dining table, as if preparing for a panel discussion. 2 prominent American flags suggest a political event. Identity of persons, venue, occasion unknown.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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Ca. 1945 photo of 5 men, 2 women, all employees, apparently, of an unidentified business. This is the same office seen in mcalB15F20i09.