Greetings - the LVA is pleased to announce the availability of the new
Portsmouth Public Library photograph collection.

The new database and photograph images can be found on the Library's web
site:

http://www.lva.lib.va.us

In the "What We Have" section under "Photograph Collections."

We are still processing this collection, but two significant components have
been completed, the Olde Towne collection and the Lee F. Rodgers collection:

The numerous photograph collections housed at the Portsmouth Public Library
consist of 15,000 to 20,000 photographic prints as well as a large number of
negatives and slides. The photographs date back to the late 1800s and cover
a myriad of subjects including historic buildings, homes, churches, schools,
commercial establishments, businesses, social and civic events, military
life, local citizens and civic leaders, and a significant collection of
images depicting the life and history of Portsmouth's black community dating
back to the 1920s.

Many of the photographs were taken by newspaper photographers such as Lee F.
Rodgers of the Portsmouth Star, and amateur historians such as John Cloyd
Emmerson and James Arthur Murdaugh who took block-by-block photographs of
the city between the 1920s and the 1950s.

The Olde Towne Photograph Collection consists of approximately 800
photographs of homes, churches, streets, commercial structures, and other
historic sites located in and near the historic downtown area. The
cataloging and digitization of this collection was funded by a grant from
the Olde Towne Civic League Foundation.

Lee F. Rodgers was a reporter for the Portsmouth Star during the 1950s and
1960s and wrote the "Colored Notes" column.  The Rodgers collection consists
of approximately 1,500 photographic prints originally displayed in nine (9)
albums or binders.  Many of the photographs were used to illustrate his
column. Most of the photographs are undated but generally span the decades
between the 1920s and 1960s.

Subjects represented include: servicemen and women; individuals and
families; fraternal organizations and clubs; vocal groups; schools;
recreational, social, and cultural activities; and events related to civil
rights and desegregation.


Please contact me if you have any problems using this database.

Elizabeth

--
Elizabeth Roderick                   email ([log in to unmask])
Director, Digital Library Program    voice  (804) 692-3761
The Library of Virginia              fax    (804) 692-3771
800 E. Broad Street
Richmond, VA  23218

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