Rediscovering the Freedman’s Photo Album
The Associates of the Boston Public Library’s support for key staff positions in the BPL’s Special Collections has led to a remarkable rediscovery within the Library’s Anti-Slavery Collections. Thanks to the careful work of Associates-funded Rare Books & Manuscripts Cataloger Lucretia Baskin, Archivist Margaret Peachy, and Conservation Officer Mary French, new light is being shed on one of the collection’s most requested items: the Teachers of the New England Freedman’s and Union Commission photograph album.
This Reconstruction-era album is a vital resource, documenting both the work of the Freedmen’s Aid Society and the lives of the formerly enslaved people the Society sought to support after the Civil War, primarily through education, but also by supplying resources. Until recently, however, the album had only been minimally described, limiting its discoverability for researchers.
This changed when Lucretia created a detailed catalog record and archival finding aid, assisted by Associates-funded Archivist Margaret Peachy. Lucretia’s work not only deepened scholarly access but also enabled the album to be digitized for the first time. During preparation for digitization, the conservation lab carefully removed photographs from their mats—a delicate process led by Mary French. What lay hidden behind the photographs revealed a wealth of information: inscriptions, dates, photographers, and in some cases, identification of people once left unnamed.
The conservation work performed by Mary French allowed me to capture previously unknown information from the photographs themselves – including inscriptions, photographers, locations, and sitters’ names. I was then able to take this new information and make it available to researchers and patrons through a detailed catalog record and, in collaboration with my colleagues in Archives, a new archival finding aid.
Mary removing photographs from Teachers of the New England Freedman's & Union Commission Photograph Album (Ms.q.G.3.30) so that they could be imaged and catalogued. The book is an important Reconstruction Era album, and a significant amount of contextual information on the backs of the photographs was previously obscured. The album will be reassembled and rebound for an upcoming exhibition.
These discoveries are more than technical details. They restore human stories to the historical record, allowing teachers, pupils, and communities represented in the album to be seen and understood with greater clarity. With the album now digitized, this wealth of information will be preserved and made available to researchers worldwide. After conservation, the album will be reassembled and rebound in preparation for the upcoming Revolutionary Arts exhibition, ensuring it remains both accessible and physically protected for future generations.
The Associates’ investment in Special Collections staff underscores the profound impact such roles have in preserving, interpreting, and sharing history. The Teachers of the New England Freedman's & Union Commission Photograph Album is now a richly contextualized and accessible resource, sharing an important history of strength and resilience. The efforts of Lucretia, Margaret, and Mary, positions made possible by the Associates, have not only preserved the physical album but unlocked new stories within it, ensuring this critical piece of Reconstruction-era history continues to inform and inspire generations to come.