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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- 4-H Club
- Description
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1951/1952 Fall-Spring 4-H Club members gathered on the steps in front of Waterman Building, University of Vermont.
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- McAllister Portraits
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Photo of Louis McAllister on his step ladder with his tall tripod as he steadies his camera ready to take a photograph. He is in front of Billings Library on the University of Vermont campus; Ira Allen Chapel is in the background.
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- McAllister Portraits
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Photo of Louis McAllister on his step ladder with his tall tripod as he steadies his camera ready to take a photograph. He is in front of Billings Library on the University of Vermont campus; Ira Allen Chapel is in the background.
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- Portraits - Individuals
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1945 portrait photo of a nicely dressed woman standing outside the steps of UVM Waterman building.
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- Portraits - Individuals
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1945 portrait photo of a young woman sitting outdoors with an open book on the steps of UVM Waterman building.
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- Portraits - Individuals
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1945 portrait photo of a young woman standing outside a building with columns and next to an urn with potted plants. Is this at UVM Wheeler House?
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- Portraits - Individuals
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1945 portrait photo of two young girls outdoors sitting on the steps of UVM Waterman building.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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1945 photo of a group of young women standing in front of the Waterman Building, University of Vt. Central figure seems to be the young woman in the white gown. Occasion unknown.
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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1944 photo of the Sisters of Alpha Chi Omega sorority (residence: 384 Main St., Burlington, Vt.). Some of the middle-aged adults may be faculty advisers. (See also mcalB15F14i06.)
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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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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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- Portraits - Unidentified Groups
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Ca. 1947 photo of Sigma Nu fraternity at 57 So. Williams St., Burlington, Vt. (compare with mcalB19F31i04).
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- Portraits, families, unidentified
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Two women and one man stand on the stone steps of the Wheeler House located in Burlington, Vermont now owned by the University of Vermont. The brick building has fluted columns and the number 133. Its official address is now 442 Main Street. The number 133 still appears over the door on its South...
Show moreTwo women and one man stand on the stone steps of the Wheeler House located in Burlington, Vermont now owned by the University of Vermont. The brick building has fluted columns and the number 133. Its official address is now 442 Main Street. The number 133 still appears over the door on its South Prospect Street side. Mrs. Jane Wheeler (wife of James R. Wheeler) is listed in the city directories as a resident here from 1925 to 1940. Photo date unknown. See another photo of the man in mcalA16F01i33
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- Title
- Portraits, groups, unidentified
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A group of men stand in front of what was to become UVM's Royall Tyler Theater on campus in Burlington. It wasn't a theater at the time of this photo. It was a gymnasium. Undated but may be 1920s, 1930s.
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- UVM - Fraternities - Sigma Nu
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Ca. 1947 photo of Sigma Nu fraternity at 57 So. Williams St., Burlington, Vt. (compare with mcalB19F31i04). There seems to be a tradition of including the house dog(s) in the picture.
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- UVM - Groups
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1945 photo of a group of mostly women (three men seen) assembled on the steps of the Waterman Building on the University of Vermont campus. Photo #4.
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- UVM - Groups
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1951 photo of mostly men with five nuns and one other woman assembled outside of the steps of Billings Library on the University of Vermont campus. Photo #11.
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- UVM - Groups
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1949 or 1950 photo of a small group of men and women sitting on graduation bleachers in front of Waterman. View behind them is the University of Vermont green and buildings on University Row including Williams Science Hall.
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- UVM - Groups
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1945 photo of men and women of varying ages assembled outside on the steps of Waterman Building on the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vt. Photo #6.
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- UVM - Groups
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1945 group photo of a large group of men and women (of all ages) assembled in front of Waterman Building on University of Vermont campus. Reunion? Photo #1??
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- UVM - Groups
- Description
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1951 photo of the UVM Newman Club, which today is known as the Catholic Center at UVM. Newman Clubs (named after John Henry Cardinal Newman) provided spiritual guidance and social activities to Catholic students at secular colleges. At the time of this photo, which appears in the 1953 Ariel (UVM...
Show more1951 photo of the UVM Newman Club, which today is known as the Catholic Center at UVM. Newman Clubs (named after John Henry Cardinal Newman) provided spiritual guidance and social activities to Catholic students at secular colleges. At the time of this photo, which appears in the 1953 Ariel (UVM yearbook), the home of the Newman Club was at 118 Pearl St. The priest pictured here is Fr. William R. Mulligan. Seated next to him is faculty adviser Catherine F. Nulty, a professor in the UVM Education department. Photo #45.
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