ROBERT FEWLASS PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
Forty-eight glass plate negatives believed to have been taken by Robert Fewlass around 1900 comprise the bulk of the collection. Images primarily depict passenger trains and railroad workers around Denver, Colorado's Union Station. Additional glass plate negatives and photographic prints, which Fewlass may have obtained elsewhere, complete the collection.
Forty-eight glass plate negatives depict railroad trains and workers in the railroad yards near Denver, Colorado's Union Station. Numerous railroad companies are represented. Subjects include both standard and narrow gauge rolling stock. Locomotives at rest comprise the bulk of the images.
Materials in this series were included within the same container as the Fewlass glass plate negatives purchased from Richard Kindig in 1982. Photographic prints depict railroad scenes from numerous Colorado locations outside the Denver area, which may have been obtained or collected by Fewlass or one of his sons. The additional glass plate negatives depict primarily non-railroad subjects from Grand Lake, Colorado and Central City, Colorado. It is unclear whether Fewlass took these photographs.
Dates
- TBD
ACCESS:
The collection is open for research.
OWNERSHIP:
The Robert Fewlass collection is the physical property of the Denver Public Library.
PUBLICATION RIGHTS:
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Robert Fewlass, Jr. was born in Michigan in October 1860. His father, Robert Fewlass, was born in England in June 1826. His mother was also born in England, though the date is unknown. The couple most likely immigrated to New York in 1855 and moved to Michigan shortly thereafter. They became naturalized American citizens in 1861. It is not clear when Robert Fewlass, Jr. moved to Colorado. A 1900 Denver City Directory shows him living at 2316 12th Street, and indicates that he was a brakeman for the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad. Federal census records from 1900 list him as a railroad conductor. Additional census records from 1910 and 1920 suggest that Fewlass became a building contractor in later life. His father had been a carpenter. Fewlass may have been an amateur photographer, as professional or commercial records were not found.
Fewlass' wife, Elizabeth, a descendant of German parents, was born in Canada in October 1860. The couple had four children: Charles, born in May 1885; Edward, born in March 1890; Mary, born in November 1895 and Edna, born in April 1898.
Extent
2 PhotoBoxes
Other Finding Aids
PROVENANCE:
The Denver Public Library purchased this collection from Richard Kindig on January 4, 1982
SIZE:
Number of PhotoBoxes: 2
LOCATION:
C Photo Collection304
PROCESSED BY:
Dennis Hagen
May 2010
PROJECT MANAGER:
Ellen Zazzarino
- Black-and-white negatives. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Black-and-white photographs. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Gelatin dry plate negatives. Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Passenger trains -- Colorado -- Pictorial works. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Railroad trains -- Colorado -- Pictorial works. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- ROBERT FEWLASS PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION
- Date
- MAY 2010
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy Repository
