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
Pages
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- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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Six Sisters of Mercy near an arbor or trellis in the garden at Mount St. Mary's.
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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13 Sisters of Mercy gathered in a room at the convent or perhaps Trinity College (exact location unknown). Sisters of Mercy were founded in Ireland in 1831 by Mother Catherine McAuley and have been active in Vermont since 1872. Photo dated 1961. Photo #8?
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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Seven women, very likely at the beginning or perhaps the end of their novitiate with the Sisters of Mercy. Each holds a white candle and wears the white veil of a novice. The novitiate is a period of preparation and discernment, at least a year long, prior to making a temporary profession, the...
Show moreSeven women, very likely at the beginning or perhaps the end of their novitiate with the Sisters of Mercy. Each holds a white candle and wears the white veil of a novice. The novitiate is a period of preparation and discernment, at least a year long, prior to making a temporary profession, the first of a series of vows to a religious community. Dated 1957.
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- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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Hospital visit with a Sister of Mercy on the right, the patient in the middle, and a Sisters of Mercy postulant on the left. Exact location unknown but very likely De Goesbriand Memorial or Fanny Allen Hospital. Dated 1955.
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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Six Sisters of Mercy in the garden near the convent, perhaps novices, as indicated by the white veil, or professed sisters wearing cooler summer wear. Photo #28. Dated 1960.
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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"Cathedral Grammar School" [sic]. Sisters of Mercy recessing in the Sacred Heart Chapel after mass presumably, with novices in front, one of whom is carrying the cross. The convent was built between 1885 and 1890, in mostly Victorian and French Second Empire styles. The architect remains unknown....
Show more"Cathedral Grammar School" [sic]. Sisters of Mercy recessing in the Sacred Heart Chapel after mass presumably, with novices in front, one of whom is carrying the cross. The convent was built between 1885 and 1890, in mostly Victorian and French Second Empire styles. The architect remains unknown. The number of residents peaked in 1964 (182) but fell to 43 in 1996 (Blow et al., Historic Guide, II: 65-66).
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- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
-
Seven women, very likely at the beginning or perhaps the end of their novitiate with the Sisters of Mercy. Each holds a white candle and wears the white veil of a novice. The novitiate is a period of preparation and discernment, at least a year long, prior to making a temporary profession, the...
Show moreSeven women, very likely at the beginning or perhaps the end of their novitiate with the Sisters of Mercy. Each holds a white candle and wears the white veil of a novice. The novitiate is a period of preparation and discernment, at least a year long, prior to making a temporary profession, the first of a series of vows to a religious community. Dated 1956 / 1957.
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- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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Six Sisters of Mercy gathered outside the convent. Dated 1959.
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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Classroom scene at Mt. St. Mary's, with both novices and postulants present, listening to instruction from a Sister of Mercy. (Some of the tall conifers on the campus can be seen through the windows.) Dated 1955.
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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10 Sisters of Mercy, gathered before a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, perhaps near Mount St. Mary's. Dated 1955.
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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Six Sisters of Mercy gathered before a shrine dedicated to Mary, Queen of the Assumption. These women may still be in the novitiate, or celebrating the end of it. Location is unknown but presumably on the grounds of Mount St. Mary's. Photo #26. Dated 1960.
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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A Sister of Mercy kneeling at the Communion railing in the Sacred Heart Chapel at Mount St. Mary's. Built in the late 1880s, the convent would accommodate as many as 182 professed sisters, novices, and postulants affiliated with the Sisters of Mercy. The chapel features a broad, tiled center...
Show moreA Sister of Mercy kneeling at the Communion railing in the Sacred Heart Chapel at Mount St. Mary's. Built in the late 1880s, the convent would accommodate as many as 182 professed sisters, novices, and postulants affiliated with the Sisters of Mercy. The chapel features a broad, tiled center aisle, with pews on either side facing each other for antiphonal chanting. The sanctuary is a study in symmetry, with Gothic-arched stained-glass windows and arched passageways on either side of the altar. The abundance of polished white marble and/or granite shows that the Sisters spared no expense in creating an atmosphere of reverence for generations to come. Photo #1. Undated.
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- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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Photo designed (perhaps for promotional purposes) to show the three stages of a vocation to religious life with the Sisters of Mercy: postulant (black lace hairpiece); novice (habit with white veil); and sister (habit with black veil). Dated 1955.
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent
- Description
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Summer. Five Sisters of Mercy near an arbor or trellis, probably in the garden near Mount. St. Mary's. White veils, usually indicating novices, may just be cooler summer attire. Dated 1958.
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent - Music
- Description
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1958 photo of nuns of Mount St. Mary's Convent gathered together with their music director for a music making session. Phonograph records, record players, bells and other musical instruments lie on a table in the foreground. Photo #3. Religious orders represented here include the Sisters of Mercy...
Show more1958 photo of nuns of Mount St. Mary's Convent gathered together with their music director for a music making session. Phonograph records, record players, bells and other musical instruments lie on a table in the foreground. Photo #3. Religious orders represented here include the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of Charity of Providence (with the balloon-shaped headdress), and perhaps a third, wearing the white habit and black veil. One sister holds a poster with number sequences that correspond to familiar note patterns, including "do-re-mi," the musical scale, and the arpeggio.
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- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent - Music
- Description
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1958 photo of nuns of Mount St. Mary's Convent seated in the auditorium for a music session. Religious orders represented here include the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of Charity of Providence (with the balloon-shaped headdress). Photo #2.
- Title
- Mt. St. Mary's Convent - Music
- Description
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1958 photo of nuns seated in the auditorium at Mount St. Mary's Convent. Phonograph records lie on a table in the foreground, as does an Autoharp. This may be a presentation designed to help the sisters learn music better. Religious orders represented here include the Sisters of Mercy and the...
Show more1958 photo of nuns seated in the auditorium at Mount St. Mary's Convent. Phonograph records lie on a table in the foreground, as does an Autoharp. This may be a presentation designed to help the sisters learn music better. Religious orders represented here include the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of Charity of Providence (with the balloon-shaped headdress).
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- Title
- Portraits - Family
- Description
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1949 or 1950 group portrait photo of an older couple gathered in a living room with several other adults (grown children?). Woman seated on the right is a nun. Photo #3.
- Title
- Portraits - Family
- Description
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1949 or 1950 group portrait photo of an older couple gathered in a living room with several other adults (grown children?). Woman seated on the left is a nun.
- Title
- Portraits - Family
- Description
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1949 or 1950 group portrait photo of an older couple gathered in a living room with several other adults (grown children?). Woman standing in the center in the back is a nun. Photo #2.