Collection Overview
The 25,000 commercial photographs in Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920, served as the basis for picture postcards of the time. Prominent subjects include buildings and views in towns and cities, colleges and universities, battleships and yachts, resorts, natural landmarks, and industry.
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Special Features
There are currently no Special Features for this collection.
Historical Eras
These historical era(s) are best represented in the collection although they may not be all-encompassing.
- Development of the Industrial United States, 1876-1915
- Emergence of Modern America, 1890-1930
Related Collections and Exhibits
These collections and exhibits contain thematically-related primary and secondary sources. Also browse the Collection Finder for more related material on the American Memory Web site.
- American Life Histories, 1936-1940
- Architecture and Interior Design for 20th Century America, 1935-1955
- California As I Saw It: First Person Narratives, 1849-1900
- Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920
- Frank Lloyd Wright: Designs for an American Landscape, 1922-1932
- Great Earthquake and Fire: San Francisco, 1897-1916
- Inside an American Factory: Westinghouse Works, 1904
- The Life of a City: New York, 1898-1906
- Map Collections, 1500-2004
- The Northern Great Plains, 1880-1920
- Panoramic Maps, 1847-1929
- Taking the Long View, 1851-1991
- Washington As It Was, 1923-1959
Other Resources
Recommended additional sources of information.
- America at the Turn of the Century: A Look at the Historical Context
- Detroit Publishing Company Collection, Prints and Photographs Division
Search Tips
Specific guidance for searching this collection
Searching by place or topic will be more successful than searching by date. Often, this collection's photographs are undated or include approximate dates.
Searches will yield more hits for locations east of the Mississippi River. This collection contains fewer photographs of sites in the western United States.
For help with place searches, go to the List of Locations represented in the collection.
For more help with search words, go to Touring Turn-of-the-Century America Subject Index and the Synonym List.
For help with search strategies, see Finding Items in American Memory
Last Updated: 06/12/2009