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
Show less
Related Archival Collection
Pages
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
Group of distinguished men dressed in suit and tie pose for a portrait photo. Dated 1935-1936. Same distinctive location as mcalB15F12i04
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1945 photo of a group of women (and one lucky guy) gathered at a dining table, with an American flag behind them. Identity of group, venue, and occasion are unknown. (Same group as in mcalB15F16i15.)
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1951 - 1952 group of men and women of various ages gathered outside for a portrait in front of a brick building.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
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. Photo #2.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1945 photo of six men dressed up on a sunny day for a portrait photo. Identity of men, venue, and occasion unknown.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1949 group photo of young women assembled outside in front of a large brick building. Class portrait? Photo #1.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
Undated photo of a group of people gathered outside at night on a bricked patio or terrace. They wear name tags or badges. Photo 5.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
Five women; one seated at a desk pose for a group portrait in a business office. On the wall is a framed paper with word "UNESCO" and a poster reading "The Wheel of Good Eating." Undated. Photo 2.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1951 or 1952 group photo of men and women gathered at a rustic restaurant. Knotty pine walls. A large gift wrapped present rests on the table in front of one man. Photo #2.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1945 photo of an extended family, with at least three generations present.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
Ca. 1945 photo of a group of young women, dressed for a formal ball. Identity of group, venue, and occasion unknown.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
Undated group portrait photo of men and women of various ages 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 4.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1944 photo of a group of men and women gathered for a meal in a restaurant or other dining room. Location, occasion unknown.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
Another 1949 photo of a group of men, women, a nun and children gathered in a room; perhaps a kitchen (linoleum floor) for a portrait. See also mcalB16F01i06 with just the adults. Photo #5.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1951 photo of a man appearing to be placing a pin on the lapel of another man while four other men look on. They stand in a large open space in a commercial building. A metal office desk is behind them.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1945 photo of a large gathering of men and women in a restaurant or other dining facility. 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.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1948 photo of a group of men and women involved with General Home Equipment (see mcalB15F23i04). Location and occasion are unknown.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1949 photo of an older man in a business suit and hat putting a window in an opening of a building. Location may be (University of Vermont?) horse barn. See mcalB16F14i19 for another exposure.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1945 photo of a restaurant scene or perhaps a college dining hall. Identity of group, venue, and special occasion, if any, are unknown.
- Title
- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
-
1949 photo of a group of workmen playing cards in a locker lunch room at a wooden table with bench seats attached. Metal lunchboxes on shelf above table. Lockers seen behind as well as a sign "Please put all waste paper & refuse in containers provided."