M-514 Early St. Louis Glass Plate Photograph Collection

This collection of glass plate negatives depicts scenes of St. Louis at the turn of the 20th century including the construction of the 1904 World’s Fair in Forest Park, the newly built Compton Hill Water Tower, the Cathedral Basilica, the St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts and Brookings Hall at Washington University, a variety of farm houses and homes around the city, steamboats along the riverfront, and families enjoying various activities, picnicking, shopping, etc.
St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis

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Landscape Photograph of Water and a Cliffside
Photograph of a body of water with a steep cliffside in the background. The cliffside is slightly wooded and extends up to the top of the image. The cliff reflects onto the water, but it is blurry as the water is not still.
Landscape Photograph of a Tree Line Reflecting Off of Water
Photograph of a body of water with trees reflected off of the still water. On the left bank there's a bench facing toward the water.
Photograph of the Painting Titled Lamartine Rejects the Red Flag
Photograph of a framed painting by Henri Félix Emmanuel Philippoteaux titled Lamartine Rejects the Red Flag.
Photograph of a Painting of People in a City Park
Photograph of a framed painting of people peppered across a city park. There's a man with a cart in the foreground looking at the viewer.
Photograph of a Painting of Soldiers Leading Prisoner
Photograph of a painting of armored soldiers on horseback leading a prisoner and dogs down a path.
Photograph of a Painting of a Narrow Landscape
Photograph of a narrow unframed landscape painting filled with trees. The painting itself is mounted on a fabric background.
Photograph Down the Length of a Residential Street
This photo was taken at the end of a residential street, and looks down the length of a tree-lined road. There are two or three horse-drawn vehicles driving toward and away from the photographer.
Photograph From a Rooftop of Victor and Co. Furniture
This rooftop city photograph shows the Victor & Co Furniture building and the shop signs surrounding it. Besides the company name, the side of the building says "Buffalo's Favorite Store", "Stoves, Rugs, Complete Outfits", and "It's Easy to Pay Victor's Way". Underneath this sign is a "Straus and Davenport" political sign. The photo shoots down a wide street that ends in a roundabout with a pillar in the middle of it. The background shows a wide river.
Photograph of Antique Vessels
This photo shows two antique, decorative vessels in on display in front of a cloth background. The vessel on the left is some sort of pitcher with a decorative handle, a long neck, and wide basin set on a base that narrows. The vessel on the right is a wide, stout jar with a crown set atop the lid. On the flat sides of the jar are large floral pieces. These sides are separated by small flowers going down the empty space.
Photograph of Brookings Hall of Washington University
Photograph of Washington University's Brookings Hall in Saint Louis, Missouri. The large stone building stretches across the background of the photo, and a man stands in the foreground. The ground is still fresh dirt, and there is a pile of branches in front of the building.
Photograph of Canadian Parliament Buildings
Photograph taken from the side of Canadian Parliament Hill courtyard in Ottawa, Ontario. The East Block and Centre Block buildings can be seen from right to left respectively.
Photograph of Children Racing Through a Park
This photograph shows six children racing through a park while a large group of people and other children stand or sit by and watch. There are three gazebos behind the crowd, two to the right and one to the left. Trees fill the background of the park picnic scene.
Photograph of Children Running Through a Park
This photo shows two people, presumably children, racing one another through a park. There's one person watching from directly behind them, and there's a large crowed watching them from the right side of the photo. There are gazebos behind the crowd. Trees hang over in front of the top of the camera, and there are shadows of trees on the clearing where they're running.
Photograph of Compton Hill Water Tower Construction
This photo shows the Compton Hill Water Tower as it is being built. The outside of the tower is covered in scaffolding with the two peaks protruding from the wood frame. There are trees and buildings in the background of the photo, small in comparison to the water tower.
Photograph of Construction in Forest Park
Photograph of a construction site in Forest Park, Saint Louis, Missouri. In front of the wooden structure are piles of lumber and train tracks with two trees in the middle of the photograph. The construction is for the 1904 World's Fair buildings.
Photograph of Construction in Forest Park
Ground level photograph of construction for the World's Fair in Forest Park of Saint Louis, Missouri. The building being constructed has two large towers protruding from the top that are being stabilized by scaffolding and ropes attached to the ground.
Photograph of Construction in an Open Field
This photograph is of a construction site in an open field. On either side of the structure in the middle ground are building materials separated ito stacks for further progress. The dirt is smoothed out, as if plowed, and there were no workers on the site at the time the photo was taken. The background is made up of a sparce treeline and smokestacks in the middle.
Photograph of Construction of World's Fair Buildings
Photograph of World's Fair construction with piles of building materials in the middle ground. At the base of the building, there are several workers walking around the base. The dirt road leads from the foreground to the side of the buildings on the left side.
Photograph of Deer or Elk Among Large Trees
This photo shows a field of deer and elk among trees. Though it is slightly blurry, the herd can be seen sleeping, eating, and wandering around the grassy, fenced in area. The fence spans the background of the photo, with large trees in the middle ground. The foreground is empty with the exception of grass and snow.
Photograph of Farm Workers Tending Trees from a Horse-Drawn Cart
This photo shows two farm workers in on a horse-drawn cart in front of a barn. They are spraying a mist-like substance on the surrounding trees.
Photograph of Franklin Bridge in Forest Park
Photograph of Franklin Bridge in Forest Park, Saint Louis, Missouri. This stone bridge goes over a creek, and there are trees in the foreground, middle ground, and background. To the right of the bridge, there is one lamp post.
Photograph of Girls Racing as a Crowd Watches
This photo shows seven girls racing through the park with a large group of people watching. There are gazebos behind the group, but there are little to no people in them. Trees are all around, but the children are racing through an open field.
Photograph of Horse-Drawn Carriages in Downtown Saint Louis
Photograph of horses pulling carts down a main road in Saint Louis. There are people seated and standing on either side of the road, and several stores line the street. There is a sign for "Delicatessen Lunch Room", and an obstructed sign for a company in the background. There are smokestacks all around the image.
Photograph of Horse-Drawn Carts Going Down a Boulevard
This photo is taken down an open, tree lined street with two horse-drawn vehicles moving away from the viewer. On the right side of the photo are houses, and in the far background are more buildings.
Photograph of Horse-drawn Carriages on Wide Street
Photograph of horse-drawn vehicles carrying people traveling down a wide street in front of large buildings.
Photograph of Horses and Mules Pulling Carts in a Field
This photo shows over a dozen horses and mules pulling carts along an open dirt field. They are travelling in two different directions, both toward and away from the viewer. The tracks of where the carts have and haven't been are visible.
Photograph of Missouri Botanical Garden Visitors
Photograph of visitors to the Missouri Botanical Garden spread throughout hedges and flower beds. In the foreground are three women in light dresses, and behind them is a grouping of flower beds and hedges with a statue in the middle. The background has a building with large windows and skylights. The engraving on the building reads, "Glory to God in the Highest, and On Earth Peace, Good Will Towards Men".
Photograph of People Having a Picnic by the River
This photo shows four people having a picnic by the river. Three of the four people are seated on a seesaw that's propped up on a ladder leaning against a large tree. The fourth person is standing behind the seesaw. Behind the scene is a river with a sailboat on the righthand side. The woman on the far right of the seesaw is smiling slightly.

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