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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Birds eye view of a banquet on the floor of Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, Vt as seen from the balcony. On the floor men and women are seated at dining tables. Men seated at a very long head table just in front of the stage (only one woman seated the head table). Dated 1949 - 1950. Photo #3.
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1958 photo of group of young people and a few adults gathered at a rustic interior restaurant. Photo #2.
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Ca. 1946 photo of large group of men dressed in suits, gathered in a restaurant or other dining facility for a portrait. Identity of group, location, and occasion are unknown. (See also mcalB15F19i04.)
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1953 photo of young people with several adults gathered in a rustic restaurant. Wooden log chandelier overhead is missing one light bulb. See mcalB16F07i08 for another exposure of same group. Photo #2.
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Ca. 1945 photo of a group of young women, dressed for a formal ball. Identity of group, venue, and occasion unknown.
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Ca. 1945 photo of 2 women working in an office.
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1945 photo of a group of men and women ready to board a train. Most passengers have tags attached to their clothing. Train station very likely in Essex Junction, Vt. A few cars are parked on the left. A Western Union sign can be seen in the distance, left.
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Ca. 1948 photo of a large group of women and one man (choral group?). Identity of persons, location, and occasion are unknown.
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1945 photo of a large gathering of men and women in a restaurant or other dining facility (see also mcalB15F17i02). Half the group has left their seats and stood along the wall for the portrait. A few men are wearing military uniforms. Identity of the group, venue, and occasion are unknown.
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Independent Order of Odd Fellows? 150 Bank Street, Burlington? Photo #4.
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Mid 1950s group portrait photo of young people and a few adults at a rustic restaurant. Photo #2.
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1953 photo of mostly women gathered for a portrait photo.
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1947 (perhaps Spring) photo of a group of well-dressed, influential looking men and women gathered at a train station. Identity of group or attendees, venue, occasion unknown.
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1951 group of young people and adults seated at dining tables at a rustic restaurant. Knotty pine walls, hard wood floor, chandelier made from wooden logs with horns and a mirror ball attached. Photo #4.
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1951 or 1952 photo of a group of men and women gathered in a restaurant. Booths line the side walls, tables arranged down the center of the room. A bold patterned wall paper and printed curtains decorate the interior. See mcalB16F07i11 for a 1953 photo. Photo #1.
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Mid 1950s outdoor photo of an older man and wife with perhaps their grown children. Family celebration or reunion? Photo #5?
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1944 photo of the Sisters of Alpha Chi Omega sorority (residence: 384 Main St., Burlington, Vt.). Some of the middle-aged adults may be faculty advisers. (See also mcalB15F14i06.)
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Ca. 1945 photo of a group of young women, dressed for a formal ball. This is a smaller group from that seen in mcalB15F20i07. Identity of group, venue, and occasion unknown.
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Undated group portrait photo of women of various ages formally dressed gathered in a club or public space. A jute box and piano in background on a stage. An American and another flag also seen. Nursery school images of baby animals attached to back wall. Photo 2.
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Overexposed 1953 group portrait photo of men and women gathered in a restaurant with bold patterned wallpaper and printed curtains. A television has been added as seen in the upper right corner. Photo #1.