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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Underexposed 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.
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March 1951 portrait photo of six men in an office with one of the men sitting at a metal office desk.
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1956 or 1957 indoor Christmas group portrait photo of men and women gathered in a rustic restaurant with knotty pine walls. Overhead hangs a tissue paper bell and pine bows decorate the dining tables as well as candles and a small Santa. Photo #2.
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Large group of young women (see mcalB15F16i01) gathered at a venue with trademark lattice decoration. Occasion unknown.
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1945 photo of what appears to be an interview among two men. Younger man, perhaps discharged service man, applying for a job? Wall displays Rotary Club certificate.
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Four young women (teenagers?, high school students?) stand in a row on a stage. Three are in identical outfits. Photo #2.
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Slightly blurry ca. 1956 photo taken outside the Waterman building at UVM of a small group of alums at a reunion. See also mcalB19F21i12. 50th or 55th?
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1951 group photo of male employees of the New England Telephone and Telegraph Co.'s building at 266 Main Street, Burlington.
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1944 photo of William H. Wills, Governor of Vt. (1941-1945), is receiving perhaps a lapel pin from the young woman on the right, who may be his secretary or--if indeed he is receiving an honor--a representative of a group bestowing the honor. The man on the left remains unidentified, as does the...
Show more1944 photo of William H. Wills, Governor of Vt. (1941-1945), is receiving perhaps a lapel pin from the young woman on the right, who may be his secretary or--if indeed he is receiving an honor--a representative of a group bestowing the honor. The man on the left remains unidentified, as does the young woman, but he is not the Lieut. Gov., Mortimer Proctor. A photo of the governor's wife, Hazel McLeod Wills, is on the desk. Location is probably the Vermont State House in Montpelier. Photo #4.
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Ca. 1946 photo of 4 elderly men, formally dressed and lined up in front of a building or residence. Identity of men, location, and occasion unknown.
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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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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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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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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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Undated portrait photo of seven women standing in front of a landscape mural. Photo 4.