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
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
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1957 photo of a member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary in uniform, which includes a light-colored dress, garrison cap (with Post no. 782 visible), and white gloves.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
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Undated photo of a VFW Ladies Auxiliary event, with members standing at attention as they listen to a designated speaker. Burlington had ca. 20 organizations for military veterans in the years following World War II.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
Undated photo of a group of VFW Ladies Auxiliary members, all wearing garrison caps and corsages. Occasion is unknown but the location may have been the VFW hall at 69 College St., Burlington, Vt.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
Ca. 1956 photo of members of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, gathered at an unknown location. All are wearing white dresses and dark garrison caps.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1957 photo of a member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary in uniform, which includes a light-colored dress, garrison cap (with Post no. 782 visible), and white gloves.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1952 photo of a speaker (unidentified) addressing an audience gathered at a VFW Ladies Auxiliary event. A banner on the far right says Ladies Auxiliary Howard Plant Post 782 (VFW). (Howard W. Plant was the first "Burlington boy," as his memorial states, to die in World War I.)
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1952 photo of some women veterans and members of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary. Some are in uniform and wearing garrison caps; others (new inductees, perhaps?) wear dark dresses. A plaque on the wall bears the name of Howard Plant, in whose memory Post No. 782 was founded.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1953 photo of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, Post no. 782, gathered around an American flag. The different colors of dresses may indicate the service affiliation (e.g. Army, Navy, etc.) of each member. A few male veterans are in the background.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
Undated photo of a VFW Ladies Auxiliary event, with members standing at attention as they listen to a designated speaker. Burlington had ca. 20 organizations for military veterans in the years following World War II.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1952 photo of a swearing-in session of new members of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary. A current member, in light uniform and garrison cap, faces ca. 15 women who have raised their right hands and presumably are taking an oath.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
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1957 photo of a group of VFW Ladies Auxiliary members ready to distribute, presumably, Christmas gift packages to the needy, perhaps specifically to veterans. The trunk of the car is opened and filled with baskets, almost like a modern cornucopia. Location appears to be a suburban residence, very...
Show more1957 photo of a group of VFW Ladies Auxiliary members ready to distribute, presumably, Christmas gift packages to the needy, perhaps specifically to veterans. The trunk of the car is opened and filled with baskets, almost like a modern cornucopia. Location appears to be a suburban residence, very likely the home of one of the auxiliary ladies in the picture, one of whom is holding a Santa Claus doll. Photo #2.
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- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1951 photo of a large group of children, very likely attending a VFW sponsored event at a gymnasium in Burlington or Winooski. A few adults, one wearing a military uniform, and Santa Claus can be seen in the crowd.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1957 photo of a group of VFW Ladies Auxiliary members ready to distribute, presumably, Christmas gift packages to the needy, perhaps specifically to veterans. The trunk of the car is opened and filled with baskets, almost like a modern cornucopia. Location appears to be a suburban residence, very...
Show more1957 photo of a group of VFW Ladies Auxiliary members ready to distribute, presumably, Christmas gift packages to the needy, perhaps specifically to veterans. The trunk of the car is opened and filled with baskets, almost like a modern cornucopia. Location appears to be a suburban residence, very likely the home of one of the women veterans in the picture. Photo #1.
Show less
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
Ca. 1956 photo of members of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, gathered at an unknown location. All are wearing white dresses and (most) dark garrison caps.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1953 photo of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, Post no. 782, gathered around an American flag. The different colors of dresses may indicate the service affiliation (e.g. Army, Navy, etc.) of each member. A few male veterans are in attendance also.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
Undated photo of members of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, gathered at an unknown location.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1952 photo of some women veterans and members of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary. Some are in uniform and wearing garrison caps; others (new inductees, perhaps?) wear dark dresses. A plaque on the wall bears the name of Howard Plant, in whose memory Post No. 782 was founded.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1953 photo of a group of VFW members, both Ladies Auxiliary and veterans (back row). Many women in white dresses, some in black. Photo #6.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
1959 photo of a gathering of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, taken very likely at the VFW hall at 69 College St., Burlington, Vt. (Howard Plant Post No. 782.) About half are dressed in uniforms and wear garrison caps.
- Title
- Veterans of Foreign Wars - Ladies Auxiliary
- Description
-
Undated photo of a group of VFW Ladies Auxiliary members, all wearing garrison caps and corsages. Occasion is unknown but the location may have been the VFW hall at 69 College St., Burlington, Vt.