Inventory of the Eola Willis Cuban Photograph Collection, circa 1895-1910

Descriptive Summary

Abstract:	Collection consists of 37 black and white mounted photographs collected by artist Eola Willis, taken mostly in Havana, Cuba around the time of the Spanish-American War (1898) and after.
Title:	Eola Willis Cuban photograph collection
Creator:	Willis, Eola, 1856-1952
Date(s):	circa 1895-1910
Extent:	0.2 linear feet (1 slim document box)
Repository:	Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries 66 George Street Charleston, SC 29424 Phone: (843) 953-8016 Fax: (843) 953-6319 URL: http://archives.library.cofc.edu
Call Number:	Mss 0124
Language of Material:	Materials in English

Biographical Note

Eola Willis (1856-1952) was born in Dalton, Georgia, and later settled in Charleston, South Carolina. She studied at the Art Students League in New York, New York and at the College de France in Paris, France. During her life, Willis became well known as a painter, writer, and public speaker. Willis also authored The Charleston Stage in the XVIII Century with Social Settings of the Time, and "Henrietta Johnston, First Woman Painter in America."

Collection Overview

Collection consists of 37 black and white mounted photographs 8"x10" (20 x 25 cm), 5"x7" (12 x 17 cm), and 4"x5" (10 x 12 cm) taken mostly in Havana, Cuba around the time of the Spanish-American War (1898). Includes photographs of Cuban architecture and agriculture, a traditional Cuban home, a Cuban bedroom, and sugar cane farming. Also includes various photographs of Colon Cemetery in Havana, including one photograph of an open "bone pit" grave used for low-income individuals. Other photographs include Fort Castillo de la Chorrera (circa 1900), Fort Cabaña, Morro Castle, the 161st Indiana Monument (circa 1899), Columbus Chapel, the Cuban presidential palace, and the erection of a Jose Marti statue in Havana's Parque Central (1905). A large number of the photographs include handwritten captions on the back.

Collection Arrangement

Materials are described at the folder level.

Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person, family, or organization, by topical subject, by place, and by types of material.

Names

• Willis, Eola, 1856-1952

Subjects

• Spanish-American War, 1898

Places

• Havana (Cuba)

Types of Material

• Black-and-white photographs

Inventory

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Copyright Notice

The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Eola Willis Cuban photograph collection, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.

Acquisitions Information

Transferred from the Charleston County Public Library, circa 2004.

Processing Information

Processed by Cara McHugh, May 2013.

Encoded by Cara McHugh, May 2013.

Reviewed and uploaded by Martha McTear, February 2014.