BIOGRAPHY / HISTORY

Underwood & Underwood established itself in 1882 as a stereographic distributing company. The company was founded by two brothers, Elmer and Bert Underwood. They distributed stereographs for Charles Bierstadt, J.F. Jarvis and the Littleton View Company. In 1891 Bert learned how to operate a camera and thus the firm of Underwood & Underwood Publishing entered a new merchandising sphere. By 1897 the company had a number of full-time staff and free lance photographers. In the same year the Underwoods purchased the businesses of Jarvis; Bierstadt; and, William H. Rau. Underwood & Underwood were publishing twenty-five thousand stereographs a day by 1901. The firm still canvassed and sold its own stereographs. Around 1900 Underwood & Underwood introduced boxed sets, with specific themes such as education and religion, and travel sets depicting popular tourist areas of the world. By 1910 Underwood & Underwood had entered the field of news photography. Due to this expansion stereograph production was reduced until the early years of World War I. Altogether Underwood & Underwood produced between 30 000 and 40 000 stereographic titles. In 1920 stereograph production was discontinued and Underwood & Underwood sold its stereographic stock and rights to the Keystone View Company. (Taken from: Darrah, William C. "The World of Stereographs." Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: William C. Darrah, 1977.)

CUSTODIAL HISTORY

Unknown

SCOPE AND CONTENT

This collection consists of a number of stereographs produced by different publishers with the majority published by Underwood & Underwood. There subject matter of the stereographs are the Boer War in South Africa from 1889 to 1902; the Timothy Eaton Company including store interior shots; views of Niagara Falls and the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario.

NOTES

Title based on contents of collection.

This collection donated by an unknown source.

Restrictions: N

The Boer War, 1899

1. Edinburgh Castle, the Gordon Highlanders

2. Lord Roberts, Commander Chief of the British Army in Africa

3. Pontoon Bridge, Modder River

4. Wynberg Hospital, Cape Town

5. Modder River

6. "Derby Volunteers", Norvals Pont

7. British Scouts

8. New South Wales medical corps

9. R & R

10. Eventide, Driefontein

11. ambulance and British field telegraph station, Modder

12. cemetary, Seige of Ladysmith

13. Orange River trenches

14. Honey Nest Kloof, medical corps

15. Modder River Bridge

16. Tugela River

17. Battle of Dalmanntha

18. British Scouts firing, Colesberg

19. train of refugees, Kimberley

20. R & R, Slingersfontein

21. City Imperial Volunteers, Cape Town

22. Remington's Scouts, Colesberg

23. Orange River Hospital

24. storming of Boer Kopje, Colesberg

25. " "

26. Worcesters, Colesberg

27. German Corps, Machadodorp

28. Lord Roberts advance of Pretoria

29. South Lancashires on firing line, Colesberg

30. Honey Nest Kloof, medical corps

31. General Hospital No. 10, Bloemfonteim

32. writing home, R & R

33. Norvals Pont

34. battlefield incident, Gras Pan

35. " "

36. Canadian fighters for British Supremacy, Cape Town

37. army hospital, Naauwpoort Junction

Niagara Falls

1. Cave of Winds

2. "Maid of the Mist"

3. new Suspension Bridge

4. Niagara Falls

5. interior view of the new Suspension Bridge

6. Suspension Bridge

7. Ice Bridge of 1872

8. Winter sports on Ice Mountain

9. American falls

10. Whirlpool rapids

11. Signorina Maria Spetterini crossing the Niagara

12. Bellini making the "Couchone Leap"

13. Suspension Bridge

T. Eaton Co.

1. mail room

2. ladies whitewear

3. harness department

4. ladies waists

5. making ladies waists

6. harness factory

7. employees

8. drapery department

9. main aisle, James Street

10. furniture department

11. fur factory

12. ladies suits

13. stoves and hardware

14. millinery work room

15. china department

16. fur department

17. Young Street

18. city delivery

19. "

20. main aisle, Young Street to James Street

21. millinery

22. recording department

Miscellaneous

1. Parliament Buildings, Ottawa

2. " "

3. Parliament Buildings, main Block

4. Royal Party on chargers, Toronto

5. Soldiers Sunday Service, Halifax, N.S.

6. Victoria Park

7. Valley of the Bow, Banff, Alberta

8. Dominion Square, Montreal

9. Ryerson Normal School, Toronto

10. City Hall Toronto

11. Great Loop, Canadian Pacific Railroad

12. street scene, Juneau City, Alaska

13. Dominion Creek, Alaska

14. Gananoque