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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- Portraits - Family
- Description
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1945 outdoor photo of mother (seated) and four daughters (see mcalB14F20i05).
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- Portraits - Family
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1945 outdoor photo of father and two sons in front of a home.
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- Portraits - Family
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1945 outdoor photo of a large family, possibly that of Adalard and Mary LeBlanc (see mcalB14F14i11). The house pictured here is at 109 Intervale Ave.
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- Portraits - Family
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1941 outdoor photo of a serviceman, a mother, and her little boy. See same family in mcalB14F18i13.
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- Portraits - Family
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1952 indoor photo of couple with infant (grandparents and grandchild?). Florid interior design.
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- Portraits - Family
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Ca. 1957 outdoor photo of the family seen in mcalB15F08i01. Here they are seen sitting close to a house numbered 128.
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- Portraits - Family
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1944 outdoor photo of parents and three sons, one of whom is a navy seaman.
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- Portraits - Individuals
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Mid 1940s photo of an older man working on the legs of a piece of furniture (cabinet?). The room has remnants of wallpaper and appears now to be a workshop. See also mcalB16F14i09
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
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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 #4.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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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.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
- Description
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Ca. 1946 photo of 4 elderly men, standing in front of a house. Identity of group, venue, and occasion unknown.
- Title
- Portraits, children, unidentified
- Description
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Seven very young children are assembled on a living room couch for a group portrait. They each hold a toy or doll except the little boy on the far left. See also mcalA14F15i18
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- Portraits, children, unidentified
- Description
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A young girl dressed for her first communion seen here in what may be a private home.
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- Portraits, children, unidentified
- Description
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1957/1958 photo of two young girls stand in a living room of a home amid a collection of dolls each holding a large antique German bisque head baby doll. Many other German bisque, china and cloth headed dolls also seen. Among the collection are nun dolls, German made china, Grace Storey Putnam...
Show more1957/1958 photo of two young girls stand in a living room of a home amid a collection of dolls each holding a large antique German bisque head baby doll. Many other German bisque, china and cloth headed dolls also seen. Among the collection are nun dolls, German made china, Grace Storey Putnam baby in stroller, Kathe Kruse dolls, plus several fashion dolls. Photo #1. See mcalB16F13i07 for what may be same location.
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- Title
- Portraits, children, unidentified
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Two young children stand upon an upholstered stool each dressed in a German / Austrian / Tyrolian type outfit. A fireplace is seen behind with a portrait painting of a young woman hung above the fireplace. See also mcalA14F16i08
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- Portraits, children, unidentified
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Four young children pose for a group portrait. Two girls stand, a younger girl in on a wooden rocking horse and a young boy is seated in a child's rocking chair. Photo #1. See also mcalA14F15i17, mcalB14F10i01, mcalB14F11i01
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- Portraits, children, unidentified
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A young girl poses in her First Communion dress. See also mcalA14F16i17
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- Portraits, children, unidentified
- Description
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A young girl poses in her First Communion dress. Photo #2. See also mcalA14F16i16
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- Portraits, children, unidentified
- Description
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Three young children pose next to their Christmas tree with gifts. The girl holds a small hard plastic doll that may be a Vogue Ginny popular in the 1950s. Other presents are arranged in a display around the tree and on the upholstered chair in which the boys sit. See also mcalB14F11i08
- Title
- Portraits, children, unidentified
- Description
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Four young children pose for a group portrait. Two girls stand, a younger girl in on a wooden rocking horse and a young boy is seated in a child's rocking chair. Photo #2. See also mcalA14F15i16