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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- Camp Abnaki - Campers and Families
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1948 group photo of family members seated in a Jeepster automobile in front of one of the buildings at Camp Abnaki, North Hero, Vt. Photo #3.
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- Colchester, Rt. 7
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Photo of an automobile accident looking towards Sunderland Hollow, Colchester, Vermont. Undated but may be 1930s.
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- Construction Sites
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Photo taken 1951-1953 of the construction of a building. Location unknown but may be downtown Burlington, Vermont. A large crane is seen and several cars are parked nearby.
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- Construction Sites
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1935/1936 photo of a construction site with four men with shovels digging in a very large grassy field. A truck and automobile are parked nearby.
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- Farms
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Autumn scene of a farmhouse with small attached barn next to a paved road. An automobile is parked in the front yard just off the road. Trees are bare of leaves. There are mountains in the background.
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- Fort Ethan Allen Artillery Range (Underhill)
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Column of marching and mounted military men. Automobiles going in the opposite direction. Railroad track along side of the road. Photo #17.
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- Fort Ethan Allen Artillery Range (Underhill)
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Cavalry Reserve Officers Artillery Range Fort Ethan Allen Vt. August 1934. Group of standing and seated military with row of parked automobiles behind them. Photo #13.
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- Fort Ethan Allen Artillery Range (Underhill)
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Landscape view of crowd of people, automobiles, cranes, and excavation at the Fort Ethan Allen Artillery Range (Underhill). Photo #9.
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- Fort Ethan Allen Artillery Range (Underhill)
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ROTC artillery on the march to the range Fort Ethan Allen Vt. July 1934. Column of horse drawn artillery and mounted soldiers accompanied by an automobile.
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- Fort Ethan Allen Artillery Range (Underhill)
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Column of marching and mounted military men. Automobiles going in the opposite direction. Railroad track along side of the road. Photo #19.
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- Houses - Unidentified
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A woman and a dog look out the window of a two door automobile (1930s?) It is parked on a grassy area with large well built upscale homes or buildings behind it. The buildings have long wide open porches and elaborate railings.
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- Johnson, VT (Shell Garage)
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Shell Garage in Johnson, Vermont. Photo dated 1944. A mechanic adds air to a tire of a car.
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- Johnson, VT (Shell Garage)
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An attendant pours lubricant into a car's engine at a Shell gasoline service station in Johnson, Vermont. A large sign reads "Shellubrication, the modern upkeep service" Dated 1944.
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- Landscapes - Unidentified
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1940s photo of the back side of a billboard along with abandoned cars, what looks like a clothes line and a small shed (looks like a dog house).
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- McAllister Memorabilia
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Fender bender! Passenger side front wheel well crumpled and headlight rim dislodged. Date on license plate is 1958.
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- McAllister Portraits
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June 1961. A color photo of Louis McAllister later in life standing near a car (with a dog seen in the passenger side front window) at a street curb. A city bus is in the background on its route. Elm trees are seen lining the streets. An "American" sign rises in the back.
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- McAllister Portraits with Foxes
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A man, possibly Louis McAllister, pictured with fox furs. The pelts are strung along a line on the side of an automobile. Undated but may be 1930s - 1940s. Photo caption reads "Part of a Season's Catch"
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- McAllister Portraits with Foxes
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A man, possibly Louis McAllister, pictured with fox furs. The pelts are strung along a line on the side of an automobile. Undated but may be 1930s - 1940s. Photo caption reads "Part of a Season's Catch"
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- McAllister Portraits with Foxes
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A man, possibly McAllister, stands near an automobile carrying a load of fox furs. Behind him are strung along the side of the car are several more fox furs. Photo caption reads "Part of a Season's Catch." Undated but may be 1930s and later.
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- McAllister Portraits with Foxes
- Description
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A man, possibly Louis McAllister, pictured with fox furs. The pelts are strung along a line on the side of an automobile. Undated but may be 1930s - 1940s.