John Illo photograph collection
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Abstract
157 photographs, most taken by John Illo (b. 1926), of passenger ships, tugboats, and warships in New York Harbor. Twelve (not taken by Illo) show the wrecked ocean liner Morro Castle near Asbury Park, New Jersey, around 1934. The collection includes views of well-known Manhattan sites such as the Chrysler Building and McSorley's Old Ale House, and "characters" Illo encountered around New York City, such as men riding the subway, a three-card monte dealer, a man fishing treasure from a sidewalk grate, and men experiencing homelessness. Also present are twenty images of people thought to have been in Vaudeville; two show John Illo's father, Frank Illo (1886-1976), who worked as a stage carpenter in addition to performing.
Biographical/Historical Note
New York City native and World War II veteran John Peter Illo (b. 1926) is a graduate of Fordham University and Columbia University (MA and PhD). Now retired, Illo was a professor of English at Shippensburg University in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.
Arrangement
The photographs are housed in a single box and sorted in three folders by category.
Scope and Contents
The John Illo Photograph Collection exhibits three themes:
Ships and waterfront.
Vessels, especially tugboats, in and around New York Harbor, some with visible names, others unidentified (see the container list for specifics), and general views of Manhattan docks and infrastructure. Only two prints are dated (1949 and 1950). Includes twelve snapshots of the wrecked Morro Castle, an ill-fated ocean liner which burned en route from Havana to New York on 8 September 1934, killing 137 passengers and crew members. The Morro Castle remained beached near Asbury Park, New Jersey, for several months until it was towed away and scrapped. (Illo was 8 years old at the time and did not take these photographs.)
New York City scenes.
Views of some well-known Manhattan sites (see container list for details), with a number of general street scenes. Only one photograph in this set, of the shelves in an antique shop, is dated: 1947.
People.
Random "characters" Illo encountered on the streets of Manhattan (see the container list for descriptions), and a group of twenty prints thought to show Vaudeville performers who appeared on stage with Frank Illo (1886-1976), who is identified in two photographs. None of these prints are dated.
Subjects
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People
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Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers.
Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)
Use Restrictions
Permission to reproduce any Print Room holdings through publication must be obtained from: Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 270. Fax: (212) 579-8794.
Preferred Citation Note
This collection should be cited as the "John Illo Photograph Collection, PR-358, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society."
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mark Illo, 2018 (accession PPAC.2018.007) and 2022 (accession PPAC.2022.010).
About this Guide
Processing Information
Archivist Joseph Ditta initially processed this collection and produced this finding aid in March 2018. He revised it in April 2022 to include the donor's subsequent gift of additional photographs.
Repository
View Inventory
Ships and waterfront (84 prints), circa 1934-1950s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Passenger ships, tugboats, and warships in and around New York Harbor, many unidentified, but some with visible names, such as: Bristol; African Prince; Ariosa of New York (tug) [photographed 1950]; Domfront; Esso Tug No. 3, Wilmington, Delaware (tug); Helen Buchanan (tug); Heredia, New York [photographed 1949]; Mauretania; Morro Castle [as wrecked near Asbury Park, N.J., in 1934]; Pacific Stronghold; Queen Elizabeth; Revere (tug); Santa Clara; Santa Sofia; and W. F. Dalzell (tug). Includes general views of the harbor, Manhattan docks, and infrastructure.
New York City scenes (33 prints), circa 1940s-1950s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
General views of Manhattan, with shots of several specific locations, such as the Chrysler Building, Grace Church (802 Broadway), McSorley's Old Ale House (15 East 7th Street), and the New York Public Library (Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street). Includes images of a few businesses as well: Feder's Grocery, Frank Moy Hand Laundry, and the shelves in an unidentified antique shop, photographed 19 December 1947.
People (40 prints), circa 1910s-1950s, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Photographs of random "characters" Illo encountered around Manhattan, like a barber waiting for customers, sleeping men experiencing homelessness, children burning rubbish, a man fishing treasure from a sidewalk grate, a three-card monte dealer, men riding the subway, and a police officer issuing a ticket to an African-American deliveryman near the Marlboro Cafeteria (1359 Broadway). Includes 20 prints not taken by Illo of Vaudeville performers, two of which depict his father, Frank Illo (1886-1976), who also worked as a stage carpenter.