Year-Round Costumed Fun

From a family production of the HMS Pinafore ca. 1899 (Perkins Family Papers) and an interpretation of "clouds" from the May Festival, 1928, Tuscaloosans don't just wear costumes on Halloween!

Costumed Kids and Co-Eds!

Educational Media Photographs, ca. early 1960s, Hoole Special Collections Library

A Jester and a Fairy, ca. 1900. Perkins Family Papers, Hoole Special Collections Library

Halloween Party at UA, ca. early 1950s,
The George Nichols Photographic Collection, Hoole Special Collections Library

Here are just a few of the many costumed characters that show up in our photo collections! Stay tuned for more this week! Happy Halloween!

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Keeping Cool with the Perkins Collection

Ice and snow at Asylum Farm, February, 1899.
Negative by Dr. George R. Raw, from the Perkins Family Papers, 1813-1928.

This photograph, taken on the grounds of Bryce Hospital in 1899, is an example of the photographs in the Perkins Family Papers. The photographs in the collection are from the 1890s and 1900s, and contain two photographic albums with 209 images, 72 loose photographs, and 121 glass negatives. The life of Julian C. Perkins, his wife Mary (Mamie) Kennedy Perkins, their children Edwin, Brook, and Julian, and their extended families is well documented in this photographic collection compiled by their son Edwin. There are also photographs of The University of Alabama (Woods Hall and President’s Mansion); photographs of Tuscaloosa and surrounding area around 1890; John Robinson’s Circus arriving to Tuscaloosa; Tuscaloosa Street Fair; some parts of Birmingham around the same time period; and Meridian, Mississippi.

This image, along with much of the photographs from this collection is accessible through our digital collections.

Bicycles, Babies, and Circus Parades: A Glimpse at Life and Leisure in Late Victorian Tuscaloosa

We have just added a new digital collection to the UA Libraries' Digital Collections -- selections from the Perkins Family Papers (Perkins Family Papers, 1813-1928, mss no. 1127). The Perkins digital collection consists of 294 incredible photographs of a broad array of subjects, including intimate family photographs, photographs of rivers, people, buildings, activities, and much more -- including images the circus coming to town! The image above captures the Jim Robinson Circus Parade in downtown Tuscaloosa.

A Picnic in the Park

The Perkins online collection offers a unique glimpse into leisure life and activities in late Victorian America. The Perkins Family Papers spans the period from 1813 to 1928, with the bulk of the collection being from the 1840s to the 1910s.

The Perkins Family Papers as a whole consists mainly of photographs and correspondence between family members. Within the collection, there are diaries, ledgers, a scrapbook, an unpublished novel, printed invitations, death notices, receipts, legal documents and other financial papers, and memorabilia. The Perkins collection relates to Stephen C. and Carolina A. Perkins; their son Julian C. and his wife Mamie Kennedy Perkins, and their children: Edwin, Brook, Julian H., and Maud. The majority of the correspondence and papers were generated by Caroline A. Perkins and Mamie Kennedy Perkins and concern mainly family matters.

The finding aid for the entire collection is available at http://www.lib.ua.edu/libraries/hoole/findingaids/pdf/ms_1127.pdf

The digitization of this collection was made possible by EBSCO Industries.

"Mrs. Perkins & her Wheel"

The family life of Julian and Mamie Perkins and their children are well documented in pictures compiled by their son, Edwin. Here are a few fun highlights Edwin captured that are part of the nearly 300 photographs now available online.

"Fancy Bicycle Rider"

"Baby Dan" and the family dog -- with someone behind them camera shy!

Brook K. and Julian Herbert Perkins in their HMS Pinafore costumes

Brook K. Perkins and his cat, Wang