George W. Dobbin photograph collection
Abstract
This collection contains 251 images from the collection of George Washington Dobbin, a lawyer, judge, founding member of the Maryland Historical Society, and amateur photographer. The majority of the photographs in the collection are stereoviews, with most created by Dobbin.
Dates
- 1850-1950
Creator
- Dobbin, George W., 1809-1891 (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
George Washington Dobbin (1809-1891) was a lawyer, judge, founding member of the Maryland Historical Society and amateur photographer. Dobbin was an early practitioner of photography and by the mid-1850s his work was known in photographic circles, getting attention in Humphries Journal, an amateur photography magazine. His home near Relay, Maryland, known as “The Lawn,” housed a darkroom and a gallery. Dobbin was among the group of artists, poets, and photographers that travelled aboard a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad train on the famous Artist’s Excursion in 1858.
Extent
1.25 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift from the estate of George Dobbin Brown, December 1950.
Bibliography
Scope and Contents
The George Washington Dobbin Photograph Collection consists of 251 photographs in three boxes.
Boxes 1 and 2 consist of 240 stereoviews, the majority of which were created by George W. Dobbin. Images by other photographers are identified in the container list. There are also images taken by Langenheim Brothers of Philadelphia, R.D. Crum of New York and other photographers. Subjects include: The Patapsco River; Elyville Bridge; Ellicotts Mills; Greenmount Cemetery, Baltimore, unidentified images of people and places, and more. There are also non-Maryland photographs including images of Italy, New York City, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, the Delaware Water Gap from Pennsylvania and other locales. There are also two images of Charles Blondin, the first tight-rope walker to cross the Niagara Falls.
Box three contains 11 prints featuring George Dobbin, the Dobbin family, “The Lawn” and the Friday Club, a group of Baltimore lawyers organized in 1852, of which Dobbin was a member. The box also contains a short history and some sketches of the Dobbin family home, “The Lawn.”
Creator
- Dobbin, George W., 1809-1891 (Person)
- Langenheim, William, 1807-1874 (Person)
- Langenheim, Frederick, 1809-1879 (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the George W. Dobbin photograph collection
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- Stephen Rossman and Damon Talbot
- Date
- 2014-04
- 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
- 2020-02-08: 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