Description: |
The Banquet Negatives and Prints Collection form a small but significant part of the E. O. Goldbeck Papers and Photography Collection. It is comprised of nearly 1,000 negatives and three vintage prints, the majority of which date from the mid-1910s through 1930, with a handful of negatives from 1946 and 1962.
The images were made at a time when San Antonio became the largest city in Texas. This period of rapid growth and prosperity is evidenced in images of the construction of new railroad depots (International & Great Northern), businesses (Bear Rubber Mills Ltd., Morgan-Woodward Ford), and homes and housing developments (Palm Heights). The images capture the breadth and richness of both Texan and American culture during these critical decades of our history and reflect America's involvement in the First World War. Within the negatives are images of the war effort at home, both on- and off-base. The images capture life on-base from drilling and training to recreational activities (boxing, baseball); the often "invisible" work of the Quartermaster Corps (making shoes and clothing); patriotic celebrations off-base, and the return of troops coming in into Galveston Bay.
Goldbeck was known as the "unofficial photographer of America's military," so it is no surprise that the subjects of many of these photographs include military personnel, maneuvers, and equipment. With numerous camps and bases in and around San Antonio, approximately one third of the banquet negatives were made at Camp Travis, Camp John Wise, Kelly Field, and Fort Sam Houston. But perhaps of broader appeal to all Texans, are the images of non-military subjects in San Antonio. Examples include: businesses and their employees (South Texas Willy's Light Company); conventions (American Legion and undertakers); schools and students (Main Avenue High School, G. W. Brackenridge High School); public celebrations (Fiesta Week and Battle of the Flowers); automobiles and their owners (San Antonio Automobile Club); railroads (San Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf Railroad engines); architecture (Bowie and Gunter Hotels); and cityscapes and landmarks (Alamo Plaza, Mission San Jose, Japanese Sunken Gardens). In addition to taking photographs, Goldbeck acquired the negatives of several other Texas-based photographers including: C. W. (Charles W.) Archer (act. ca. 1900s-1920s); Collins Art Shop, San Antonio-based photographic studio; and C. A. (Charles A.) Stead (act. 1910s-1940s). Within this group of negatives, approximately twenty percent are by other photographers including the aforementioned. While there may be considerable overlap with the subjects of Goldbeck's photographs, these other photographers also captured scenes beyond San Antonio, including the 1919 construction of the new seawall in Galveston, hospitals in Temple and Houston, and wagon teams at Fort McIntosh in Laredo.
Reference prints for some negatives are available for onsite viewing.
All images are available through the Ransom Center's Digital Collections portal. |
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