Louis L. McAllister Photographs

Louis L. McAllister photographed people and places near Burlington, Vermont for 60 years. He was born in Columbus, Nebraska on October 16, 1876, the son of Julius S. McAllister (born 1841 in Lincoln, VT) and Rosette Gould (born in Vermont in 1851). Julius McAllister worked as a photographer and dentist in Washington D.C., Bristol, Vermont and Columbus, Nebraska. Around 1895, Julius, his third wife Amy, and their children left Nebraska for the Union Soldiers’ Colony in Fitzgerald, Georgia. By 1900, Julius and Amy were divorced, and Amy and her stepson Louis were working as photographers in Thomasville, Georgia. In 1907 Louis McAllister married Cora Shepard (born about 1872 in Vermont) in Holland, Michigan. By 1910, they were living in Queen City Park in South Burlington, Vermont, where Louis established a photography studio. The McAllisters moved to Burlington, and by 1919 they lived at 47 N. Winooski Avenue. They continued to occupy a summer cottage at Queen City Park, and were active in the Queen City Park Association, which held spiritualist camp meetings annually. McAllister conducted his photography business from home until his death in 1963. McAllister’s “trademark” was his panorama camera which made him familiar to all sorts of groups ranging from graduating classes to state police to summer camp groups. In addition he did print 8 x 10 photos, many of which document building construction and Burlington Street Department projects, as well as group and individual portraits. The L.L. McAllister Collection includes portraits, construction projects, buildings, businesses and events in the Burlington area covering the period ca. 1920-1960. The collection also includes photos of street, bridge, airport and sewer construction and repair, as well as group portraits of clubs, schools, etc. Revised April, 2010

Showing 51 - 60 of 144 Records

Congregational Church - Choirs
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    • Description: Undated photo of an adult choir assembled in the sanctuary of the First Congregational Church. Photo may have been taken on Palm Sunday (note palm branches on altar). Photo #6. Darker exposure similar to mcalB08F20i04.
    • Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs


    McLure's Student Band, Groton, VT
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      • Date Created: 1950
      • Description: 1950 photo of McLure's Student Band, Groton, Vermont assembled inside perhaps in the Burlington City Hall auditorium. May have been taken at the Vermont Music Festival. Photo #1
      • Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs


      Mount St. Mary's Academy - Miscellaneous
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        • Date Created: 1957
        • Description: 1957 photo of four Mount St. Mary's Academy students dressed for a musical performance and standing near an Ivers & Pond grand piano. Photo #28.
        • Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs


        Piano - Recitals
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          • Date Created: 1952
          • Description: 1952 photo of a young pianist at the keyboard, dressed in a formal gown at the time of her piano recital.
          • Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs


          Piano - Recitals
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            • Date Created: 1952
            • Description: 1952 photo of a young pianist at the keyboard, dressed in a white gown and seated in a formal (and rather dark) setting with flowers and other plants.
            • Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs


            UVM - ROTC Band
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              • Description: The UVM ROTC Band in front of the Waterman building, with director Dr. Joseph Lechnyr (d. 1959) in the front row, center. Because of World War II, presumably, women were needed to fill positions in the band left vacant by male musicians. The band became known from then on as the "Co-ed Band." A similar photo was published in the 1945 Ariel, the UVM student yearbook, on p. 83. Photo #2.
              • Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs


              UVM - ROTC Band
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                • Description: UVM ROTC Band (also known as the "Co-ed Band"), perhaps on the stage of the Southwick Ballroom at UVM. Director Dr. Joseph Lechnyr (d. 1959) is in the front row, center. If this photo dates from 1944, this is probably the first year of the co-ed band. The following years would see many more women than men participating. Photo #1.
                • Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs


                Memorial Auditorium, Burlington - Events
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                  • Description: Closeup photo of the performing orchestra on stage at the Burlington Memorial Auditorium in Burlington, Vermont. The huge banner across the front of the state reads Happy Birthday. Two American flags are draped across the face of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
                  • Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs


                  Weddings
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                    • Description: A three man musical group poses with their instruments ; guitar, piano and saxophone.
                    • Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs


                    Black Cat Cafe
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                      • Date Created: 1935-1937
                      • Description: 1935/37 Black Cat Cafe & Sea Grill at 160 Bank St, Burlington, Vermont. Interior photo of an upper room used for banquets and larger gatherings. A small raised stage is seen at the far end with a band assembled there. Photo #3. The restaurant burned in the 1970s along with the rest of the block.
                      • Parent Collections: Louis L. McAllister Photographs