Historic American Building Survey photograph collection
Abstract
This collection contains roughly 343 Maryland structures and sites, created through the Historic American Buildings Survey, with most photographs made by E.H. Pickering in 1936.
Dates
- 1930-1940
Creator
- Pickering, E. H. (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use
The reproduction of materials in this collection may be subject to copyright restrictions. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine and satisfy copyright clearances or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information visit the MCHC’s Rights and Permissions page.
Biographical / Historical
The Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) began in 1933, conducted by the National Park Service (United States Department of the Interior), the American Institute of Architects, and the Library of Congress. The project called for the collection of documentary measured drawings, photographs, and written historical and architectural information for over 31,000 structures and sites in the United States and its territories. The documents were deposited in the Library of Congress for preservation and access, and are now part of the Architecture, Design, and Engineering Collections, housed in the Prints and Photographs Reading Room.
In 1965, the Maryland Historical Society purchased a duplicate set of photographs of buildings in Maryland that were part of the survey; additional documentation for these structures and sites may be available at the Library of Congress.
The HABS project was carried out by architects, draftsmen, and photographers, most unemployed due to the Depression; HABS employed them through one of several federal relief programs that existed at the time. E.H. Pickering was the photographer for the set of Maryland materials held at the Maryland Historical Society.
Extent
10.0 Linear Feet (10 flat boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The photographs are arranged according to PP catalog number.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase from the Library of Congress, 1965.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of ten boxes with 369 folders containing approximately 827 photoprints documenting approximately 343 structures and sites located in all Maryland counties except Allegheny and Garrett, and in Baltimore city and Annapolis. Most of the photographs in this set were made in 1936 by E.H. Pickering. Included are urban and rural houses, churches, hotels, public buildings, mills, bridges, farms and industrial structures, as well as street views. For many subjects, there are interior as well as exterior views of the buildings, and architectural details.
In selecting which buildings to document, the HABS administrators considered architectural merit and historical significance, and strove to include a broad range of building types: small and large, public and private, vernacular and elite, giving priority to earlier buildings and to those likely to be demolished. Most of the buildings documented by the survey were built before the Civil War. Some of the photographs in the set held at the Maryland Historical Society reproduce paintings or prints of the subjects.
Creator
- Pickering, E. H. (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Historic American Building Survey photograph collection
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- Katherine Cowan
- Date
- 1999-09
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Revision Statements
- 2020-01-25: Manually entered into ArchivesSpace by Mallory Herberger.
Repository Details
Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750
specialcollections@mdhistory.org