Detroit Publishing Company collection
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Founded in the 1890s by Edwin H. Husher and William A. Livingstone, Jr., the Detroit Publishing Company was one of the largest image publishers in the world, producing prints, postcards, lantern slides and advertisements.
Historical Note
Founded in the 1890s by Edwin H. Husher and William A. Livingstone, Jr., the Detroit Photographic Company was one of the largest image publishers in the world, producing prints, postcards, lantern slides and advertisements. Obtaining the exclusive rights to the Swiss developed Photochrom process (also known as Aac), the company was able to convert black and white photographs into vivid color prints. The process, unlike hand colored images, was a photomechanical process allowing images to be mass-produced. The lithographic prints required a separate stone for each color, using four to fourteen stones per image. Guided by notes the photographers took describing each scene, the company attempted to create realistic color prints.
The Detroit Photographic Company built its image files by sending out its own photographers, as well as by purchasing the work of other photographers. This included purchasing thousands of negatives from landscape photographer William Henry Jackson. In 1897, Jackson became a partner in the company, continuing to photograph for himself and the firm.
In 1905 the Detroit Photographic Company changed its name to the Detroit Publishing Company. Along with sales from its printed products, the company offered its services to other companies to produce sales literature, catalogs and promotional material as well as producing souvenirs for the tourist industry. At the height of its success, the Detroit Publishing Company employed over forty artisans and more than a dozen traveling salesman, selling millions of prints annually. However, with the development of new, cheaper printing methods used by competing companies and declining sales during World War I, the company went out of business and was liquidated in 1932.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in four series by format, then arranged alphabetically within each series by geographic location or subject.
Scope and Contents
The Detroit Publishing Company Collection spans the period from ca. 1885-1905 and primarily contains photochroms of various locations around the United States, Canada, Cuba and Mexico. The collection is divided into four series: 5 x 7 Inch Prints; 7 x 9 Inch Prints; Mounted Prints; Panoramic Prints.
Subjects
Topics
Places
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as: Detroit Publishing Company Collection, PR 272, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Howard Gottlieb, December 26, 2007.
About this Guide
Edition of this Guide
Repository
Series I: 5 x 7 Inch Prints
Scope and Contents note
Series I. 5 x 7 Inch Prints includes both prints measuring 5 x 7 inches, as well as smaller prints measuring approximately 3 3/4 x 7 inches. Prints have been divided into three subseries, based on location or subject and are arranged alphabetically by state, country or subject within those subseries.
Subseries I. United States Views contains both scenic landscapes and views of historic locations and is arranged alphabetically by state, then by city when multiple views exist. States with multiple images include California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania and Utah. Single views of states are located in Miscellaneous States and include images of Illinois, New Jersey and Fort Sumpter, South Carolina.
Subseries II. Foreign Views includes images of both Canada and Mexico. Canadian views are mainly of Quebec and include monuments as well as city and river views. Mexican images include city scenes as well as images of daily life. Also included are three prints of Aztec stone carvings.
Subseries III. Subjects contains images of plants, animals and steamboats, as well as several portraits. Portraits include Moki women, an unidentified Native American man entitled "Bringing in the Harvest," a young Chinese girl in traditional clothing and a cowboy on his horse. Steamboat images include the steamers New York and Toronto.
Subseries I: United States Views
California
California - Los Angeles
California - Pasadena
California - San Diego
California - San Francisco
Colorado
Colorado - Garden of the Gods
Colorado - Ouray
Colorado - Mining & Ranching
Michigan
Mississippi
New Mexico
New York
New York - Niagara Falls
Pennsylvania
Utah
Miscellaneous States
Subseries II: Foreign Views
Canada
Mexico
Subseries III: Subjects
Plants & Animals
Portraits
Steamboats
Series II: 7 x 9 Inch Prints
Scope and Contents note
Series II. 7 x 9 Inch Prints makes up the bulk of the collection. Prints have been divided into three subseries, based on location or subject and are arranged alphabetically by state, country or subject within those subseries.
Subseries I. United States Views includes images of California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington D.C., Wisconsin and Wyoming. Single images of Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington can be found in Miscellaneous States. Along with scenic and historic views, there are several images of labor, including orange packing in Redlands, California, orange picking in Florida, African American men working in a cotton gin in Mississippi and farmers harvesting grain in South Dakota. Images of New York City include Grant's Tomb in Riverside Park, Washington Bridge and both Fort Greene Park and Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
Subseries II. Foreign Views includes images of Canada and Cuba and a single view of the Bahamas. Canadian views include Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. Images of Cuba are all sites in Havana and include an image of the wreckage of the USS Maine.
Subseries III. Subjects includes portraits of Native Americans and a single image of the steamboat City of Erie.
Subseries I: United States Views
California
California - Pasadena
California - Missions
Colorado
Florida
Florida - Miami
Florida - Palm Beach
Florida - St. Augustine
Georgia
Maine
Massachusetts
Massachusetts - Boston
Massachusetts - Lexington
Massachusetts - Salem
Massachusetts - South Hadley - Mount Holyoke College
Michigan
Mississippi
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
New York - Adirondacks
New York - Chautauqua
New York - Ithaca - Cornell University
New York - New York City
New York - Niagara
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania - Philadelphia
South Carolina
South Dakota
Utah
Utah - Salt Lake City
Virginia
Washington DC - Library of Congress
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Miscellaneous States
Subseries II: Foreign Views
Bahamas
Canada
Cuba
Subseries III: Subjects
Portraits - Native Americans
Steamboats
Series III: Mounted Prints
Scope and Contents note
Series III. Mounted Prints contains both 3 1/2 x 7 inch prints mounted to 7 x 10 3/4 inch paper and 7 x 9 inch prints mounted to 12 1/4 x 14 inch paper. Smaller prints include images of California, Colorado, South Carolina and Quebec. The 7 x 9 inch prints include mainly views of California but also one unidentified landscape and one image of the interior of the Library of Congress.
Miscellaneous views
General note
(3 1/2 x 7 inch prints)
Miscellaneous views
General note
(7 x 9 inch prints)
California
General note
(7 x 9 inch prints)
Series IV: Panoramic Prints
Scope and Contents note
Series IV. Panoramic Prints includes fourteen prints of varying size, from 14 x 3 3/4 inches to 39 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches. The majority of these images are scenic views of Colorado.