The University of Chicago Library > Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Underwood & Underwood. Collection 1899-1908
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| Title: | Underwood & Underwood. Collection |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1899-1908 |
| Size: | 4 linear feet (4 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | Underwood & Underwood, located in Ottawa, Kansas, produced stereoscopes and stereoscopic images, starting in the early 1880’s, and later pioneered the field of news photography. The almost 600 cards in this collection depict mainly scenes from the Middle East. Many of the images are landscapes of biblical or other historical sites. Several of the photographs depict actors reenacting passages from the Bible. |
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Underwood & Underwood. Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Underwood & Underwood, located in Ottawa, Kansas, produced stereoscopes and stereoscopic images, starting in the early 1880’s, and later pioneered the field of news photography.
The Underwood brothers, Elmer (1859-1947) and Bert (1862-1943) began the company by selling stereoscopes door to door. By 1901, they were selling 300,000 stereoscopes a year and producing more than 25,000 cards a day. The company established branches in Baltimore, London, and Canada, and relocated their headquarters to New York City in 1891. They sold a large portion of their catalog to the Keystone View Company in 1920 and unincorporated in the early 1940’s.
The almost 600 cards in this collection depict mainly scenes from the Middle East. Many of the images are landscapes of biblical or other historical sites. Several of the photographs depict actors reenacting passages from the Bible. Bert Underwood personally shot many of the images of Turkey and Greece during the Graeco-Turkish war.
The cards are arranged by subject. Series I, Locations in the Middle East, contains images of landscapes and local people, most of which are mentioned specifically in the bible. Series II, Biblical Themes, provides images of local people and actors dressed in contemporary and historical costumes in order to reenact Biblical stories. Series III, General Themes, contains images of Greece, Rome, and the Syrian Silk Industry. Series IV, Books, consists of two books published by Underwood & Underwood that provide information for many of the cards they produced on Palestine and what they termed, “Bible Lands.” Some of the cards detailed in these publications are in this collection.
The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/select.html
Series I: Locations in the Middle East |
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Jerusalem and Vicinity, 30 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Jerusalem Temple and Site, 16 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Jerusalem (General), 13 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Jerusalem, Church of Holy Sepulcher, 23 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Judean Wilderness, 8 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Jericho, 5 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | The Jordan River, 10 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | East Jordan, 10 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 9 | Petra, 16 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 10 | Bethlehem, 5 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 11 | Jaffa, 16 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 12 | Bethel and Vicinity, 2 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 13 | Philistine Plain, 8 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 14 | Dothan and Vicinity, 5 cards, 1900 |
| Box 1 Folder 15 | Sea of Galilee and Neighborhood, 8 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Ebal, Gerizim, and Vicinity, 41 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Plain of Sharon, 8 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Northern Palestine, Syria, and Asia Minor as associated with Paul, 21 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 4 | Baalbek, 8 cards, 1900-1903 |
| Box 2 Folder 5 | Plain of Esdraelon, 3 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 6 | Tyre, Sidon, and Vicinity, 7 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 7 | Beyrout, 4 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 8 | The Lebanons, 11 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 9 | Mt. Carmel and Vicinity, 4 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 10 | Nazareth and Vicinity, 10 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 11 | Mt. Tabor and Vicinity, 8 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 12 | Jezreel and Vicinity, 6 cards, 1900 |
| Box 2 Folder 13 | Egypt, 17 cards, 1900 |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | Damascus, 19 cards, 1900 |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | Mt. Sinai and Vicinity, 11 cards,1900 |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | Asia Minor, 30 cards, 1900 |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | The Middle East, 70 cards, 1900 |
Series II: Biblical Themes |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | Travel Studies on the Apostolic Heroes, 32 cards, 1900 |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | The Travel Lessons in the Life of Jesus, by William Byron Forbush, 36 cards, 1899-1908 |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | Bible Lands, 50 cards, 1900 |
Series III: General Themes |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | Syrian Silk Industry, 17 cards, 1900 |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | Rome, 7 cards, 1900 |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | Greece, 6 cards, 1900 |
Series IV: Books |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Palestine through the Stereoscope, by Hurlbut, Kent, and Underwood & Underwood, 1914 |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Descriptions of One Hundred and Forty Places in Bible Lands to be seen through the Stereoscope or by means of Stereopticon Slides, by Charles Foster Kent, Underwood & Underwood, 1900 |
| Box 5 Folder 1 | Kent’s Biblical geography and History, Stereography Maps, #2, #, 3, #4, #5
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