Sturgis Library Archives | Benjamin Harrison Photograph Collection
Town and Local History Collections
MS. 18
Benjamin Harrison Photograph Collection
Content: Photographs from studio of Benjamin Harrison, mostly aerial photos of Barnstable and surrounding towns, and local postcards produced from his photos.
Volume: 1.5 linear feet
Provenance: Donated by George D. Harrison of West Falmouth, brother of Benjamin Harrison, in 1990.
Processed by: Pamela Narbeth and Jim Haworth, 6/98
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
The late Mr. Harrison was a professional photographer with studios in Buzzards Bay and Monument Beach. The majority of these photographs are aerial and capture Barnstable county and most of its respective villages from 1948 - 1974. Shots taken at higher altitudes, however, reach as far as Provincetown. Prints are developed from mostly black and white negatives but there are several color negatives as well.
Many of the photos were commissioned by certain interest groups or organizations, such as the Hyannis Chamber of Commerce and the Cape Cod Community College. Others were taken for private individuals, such as those shot of the Lewis Bay home of a Mr. Jacobs and the Biagrotti Estate in Centerville. The most extensive areas photographed by Mr. Harrison seems to have been the Barnstable County Municipal Airport, the village of Haynnis in general and the Cape Cod Canal environs.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The Benjamin Harrison Photo Collection is part of the Town and Local History Collection which documents the non-maritime history of the town and community.
The material is arranged alphabetically by village under the series of Prints, Envelopes, Negative Envelopes and the Negatives, then chronologically within each village file. The prints are 8 x 10 and glossy. The postcards are also in alphabetical order by village and region and contained in 66 sleeves.
It should be noted that the mailing and negative envelopes included as part of this series bear Mr. Harrison's own marks, instructions, and notations as indications for developing the negatives.
| Box: | Folder: | Contents: |
|---|---|---|
| Series I - County of Barnstable-Large prints 8 x 10, envelopes and negative envelopes with notations: | ||
| 1 | 1 | Barnstable Marina and Harbor (2 prints, 11 envelopes-1948-59) |
| 1 | 2 | Cape Cod Community College (3 negative envelopes-1969-70) |
| 1 | 3 | Centerville Beach Club (1 print, 6 envelopes-1949-56) |
| 1 | 3A | Centerville - Wequaquet Lake (1 envelope-1960) |
| 1 | 4 | Cotuit (6 envelopes, l negative envelope-1949-63) |
| 1 | 5 | Craigville (5 envelopes-1948-60) |
| 1 | 6 | Hyannis-Barnstable Municipal Airport (7 prints, 14 envelopes, |
| 1 | 7 | 42 negative envelopes-1953-72) |
| 1 | 8 | Hyannis Cape Cod Mall (1 envelope, 5 negative envelopes-1960-70) |
| 1 | 9 | Hyannis Lewis Bay (11 prints, 9 envelopes, 1 negative envelope-1949-71) |
| 1 | 10 | Hyannis East/West (2 envelopes, 2 negative envelopes-1949-63) |
| 1 | 11 | Hyannis North/South (1 print, 8 envelopes, 1 negative envelope-1953-63) |
| 1 | 12 | Hyannis Route 6 (1 envelope, 1 negative envelope-1970) |
| 1 | 13 | Hyannis Village (11 envelopes, 2 negative envelopes-1952-69) |
| 1 | 14 | Hyannis Yacht Club (1 print, 5 envelopes-1948-49) |
| 1 | 15 | Hyannisport (1 envelope, 2 negative envelopes-1969-70) |
| 1 | 16 | Osterville (6 envelopes-1949-62) |
| SERIES II - POSTCARDS, ALPHABETICALLY BY LOCATION: | ||
| Barnstable: | ||
| 2 | 1 | Bourne-Centerville (24 sleeves) |
| 2 | 2 | Cotuit-Hyannis (14 sleeves) |
| 2 | 3 | Monument Beach-Woods Hole (16 sleeves) |
| Post Cards - Regions Outside of Barnstable County: | ||
| 2 | 4 | Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Onset and Wareham (12 sleeves) |
| SERIES III - ORIGINAL NEGATIVES, PRINTS AND POST CARDS: | ||
| 1a | Barnstable Harbor-Hyannis Municipal Airport (Nov. 1969) | |
| 1b | Hyannis Municipal Airport (1970)-Osterville) | |