Travel

The Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection contains journals and a substantial amount of correspondence and photographs documenting trips taken by various members of the family. Their photographs capture tourism in the 1920s and 1930s from Alaska (not yet a part of the United States) to Egypt.

Photograph of Elizabeth Foss Wilson, Helen Wilson Williams, Edward Foss Wilson, and others on ship, circa 1910s

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 28, Folder 5, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Newspaper clipping title reads "After 20 Years, Mr. T. E. Wilson arrives in Buenos Aires." The article includes a formal headshot of Thomas E. Wilson who is a middle-aged white man. The article discusses Wilson's career and his business interests in Argentina.
Clipping from scrapbook about Thomas E. Wilson's trip to South America and Europe, 1929

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 6, Folder 1, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Black-and-white photograph of two white women (one of whom is Helen Wilson Williams) riding in a horse-drawn carriage driven by a Black man. Sandy ground and trees can be seen behind them. The photograph is attached to a black photo album page, and someone has written in white lettering "Motoring through Bermuda" below the photograph.
Page from Helen Wilson Williams' photo album of travel through the West Indies, Panama, and the northern coast of South America, 1924

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 11, Folder 13, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Black-and-white photograph of Thomas E. Wilson and Elizabeth Foss Wilson standing on a balcony. Both are white and middle-aged. Thomas wears a light colored suit and hat, and Elizabeth wears a white fur-trimmed coat and dark cloche hat.
Photograph of Thomas E. Wilson and Elizabeth Foss Wilson in New York, 1927

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 28, Folder 7, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Photograph by Hugo Homam

Edward Foss Wilson's passport open to his photograph. Edward is a young white man with dark hair. Arrival stamps from 1935 and 1937 can be seen on the opposite page.
Page from Edward Foss Wilson's passport, 1935-1937

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 15, Folder 4, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Black-and-white photograph of Edward Foss Wilson and two men in front of columns with hieroglyphics. All are white men wearing suits. They are each holding their fedora hat and looking into the camera.
Edward Foss Wilson and friends in Egypt, circa 1920s

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 17, Folder 1, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Three black-and-white photographs attached to a black photo album page. The first photograph is of a snowy mountain top. The second photograph is of Edward Foss Wilson and an unidentified man in climbing gear on a snowy mountain. The third photograph is of a man in climbing gear seated in the snow. They are all white men and are wearing goggles, caps, and boots, and are carrying ropes and pickaxes.
Edward Foss Wilson and friends mountain climbing, circa 1920s

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 15, Folder 16, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Black-and-white photograph of two-story wooden building  with a steep slanted roof. Twenty adults and children can be seen standing or seated around the front of the building. All appear to be native Alaskan people.
Photograph of general store and people in Fort Yukon, Alaska, taken by Pauline Wyman Wilson, summer 1928

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 25, Folder 4, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Black-and-white photograph of a log cabin structure with a "Post Office" sign above the front doorway. Three women in long coats and cloche hats stand at the front door of the building. Vegetation can be seen growing on the roof of the building.
Photograph of post office in Fort Yukon, Alaska taken by Pauline Wyman Wilson, summer 1928

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 25, Folder 4, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Black-and-white photograph of a team of five huskies lying on a dirt street near a wooden plank sidewalk. The dogs are tied to a sled outfitted with wheels. Two shops can be seen nearby, and one is a jewelry shop ("Richter's) with a sign that says "Nugget Jewelry." Two women and one man can be seen in the background near the street corner.
Photograph of resting dog team in Skagway, Alaska taken by Pauline Wyman Wilson, summer 1928

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 25, Folder 4, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Black-and-white photograph of a man and woman standing in a stream. The man is bent over and is panning for gold in the water. He is wearing overalls and a cap and his face cannot be seen. A woman stands behind him watching.
Photograph of people panning for gold at "Mr. Brown's gold mine" in Atlin, British Columbia, Canada, taken by Pauline Wyman Wilson, summer 1928

Thomas E. Wilson Family Collection, Box 25, Folder 4, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.