Recently in Tom Marshall's Tucson Category

Among the artifacts in Patricia Stephenson's collection from Tom and Louise Marshall, is Tom's 1903 UA yearbook, The Burro '03. We now have a Web version of the 1903 Burro available. Take a look at the University and college life in Tucson as it was roughly 105 years ago. Visitors will see photos and sketches of campus, read a history of the University and student literary works, and ads placed by local businesses such as L. Zeckendorf & Co. Department Store, Martin's Drug, Fred Ronstadt, and Crescent Cigar Co.

Over the last several months, I've written a few entries about Thomas Keith Marshall's Lantern Slides. Now, I'm happy to say that the prohibition theme slides and the bird slides are now available to students, researchers, and the Internet public at large.

There are approximately 150 images created by scanning glass lantern slides dating back to, ~1911-1914. Tom Marshall became involved in the first Audubon Society chapter in Arizona and acquired a Balopticon Model C lantern projector. This model worked with either coal oil or could be converted to electricity. Tom's was converted to electricity and still has one of its original bulbs. Gary Mackender, our QTVR expert, created a 360° QTVR panorama of it.

When you visit the website, you'll find seven webpages. The first four feature thumbnail images from the Prohibition slides and pages 5-7 feature the bird images. Click any thumbnail image to retrieve a metadata page describing that specific item.

There are about 50 of the bird slide images that are without complete identification. There was nothing to identity the bird on the slide's label and I've been unable to locate the original source from which the glass slides were created. It appears to be a book published by Henry Holt & Co. A member of the local Audubon Society pitched in and identified about 25 of the birds.

The slides show birds that were captured, killed, stuffed and posed for photos. While today we find this rather abhorrent, it was accepted practice among the naturalists in the later part of the 19th century.

The Prohibition theme slides should also be viewed in the context of the time. Students of American history will recall that "the Eighteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, along with the Volstead Act (which defined 'intoxicating liquors' excluding those used for religious purposes), established Prohibition in the United States." [Wikipedia] Among the organizations leading the movement for Prohibition was the Women's National Christian Temperance Union and many of the slides in our website are from the WNCTU (now known as the WCTU). Its message is also a product of its time. There is a mix of pseudo-science, religious fervor and dramatic license throughout. One wonders what the approved text to accompany showing these slides must have been like. In any case, it is an interesting artifact and some teachers may find it useful as a vehicle for students to discuss contemporary issues.

On May 31st, you saw the entry "Memorial Fountain, ~1919" featuring an image from a Tom Marshall photograph taken after the fountain's dedication. Garry Forger, of the UA's Learning Technologies Center, walked over to the Memorial Fountain this afternoon and captured the color image to the right of Tom Marshall's. Garry's picture enables us to see some of the changes to the area west of the fountain over the past 87 years. Garry plans to shoot the fountain again when the fountains are running. He says that he was there recently and could tell that the fountain jets are now placed differently.

click either image to download a larger copy

If you are a current or former UA Wildcat you will enjoy seeing this picture of the Memorial Fountain, shot by Tom Marshall not long after it was dedicated in 1919.

In her outstanding book, A Photographic History of the University of Arizona 1885-1985, Phyllis Ball wrote: "Situated at the west entrance of Old Main, the Memorial Fountain, honoring those UA students who lost their lives in World War I, was the gift of Alexander Berger, an uncle of Alexander Tindolph Berger, one of those to whose memory it is dedicated. Designed by Tucson architects, Lyman and Place, it cost $5,500. The Cactus Garden continued to flourish on its western side."

Phyllis Ball used this Tom Marshall photo in the book. What is interesting is that the picture in the book (p. 124) is flipped horizontally. The one I scanned today has Tom Marshall's hand written notes on it, so I can tell.

Patricia passed along two new items yesterday. One is a favorite of her's, a postcard showing Louise and Tom flying in a bi-plane with the Long Beach, California, pier in the background. Apparently it is a gag photo -- Patricia says Tom never learned to fly. Plus, the propeller is not moving. Pat dates it 1911.

The second is one of Tom's photos that could have been shot at Long Beach or San Diego in 1911. I've searched for images of the Long Beach in Calisphere but can't find one that let's me make a positive ID. In the photo, the man appears to be reading the sign:

Airship Spialway
Long Ride
Smooth Ride
Safe Ride

In addition to the Marshall diaries, letters, and photos that Patricia Stephenson owns, is a fascinating historical artifact. That artifact is a Bausch & Lomb 1911 Balopticon Model C lantern slide projector and a box of about 125 3" X 4" glass slides. Here's an image of one in good condition. The one Patricia and Roger have had in their garage is equiped with a tripod.

Why is it that they have the Balopticon and the glass slides? Grady Gammage's wife Dixie, who assumed the name Gradine for her Prohibition Party speaking engagements, spoke in Tucson in 1914. In Tom Marshall's Tucson, we learned that Tom became involved with the Prohibition Party and spent forty of Louise's dollars on the Balopticon. The projector, its accessories, and the glass slides must have been passed on from Louise Foucar Marshall to Patricia's mother and then on to Patricia.

Gary Macender, the UA's QuickTime Virtual Reality specialist is going to create a 360 degree panorama of the Balopticon. I'm in the process of scanning the glass slides and will make a little website of them over the next few weeks. The slide collection includes the slides used by the temperance movement speakers, slides of birds, and a general miscellany of others. Here's one of the temperance slides to give you a taste of what's to come.

Last Wednesday Tony Gallego, of the LTC's media section, and I visited Patricia Stephenson to record her personal memories of her father, the Marshall's and living in Tucson as a child in 1930s. We are going to work on developing the audio and video into digital stories. Digital storytelling is something we hope to add to Through Our Parents' Eyes over the coming year and the segments of Patricia we hope will demonstrate the power of digital storytelling. We have applied for an NEH grant to fund digital storytelling and if we get it, we will be able to add some wonderful content to the project. Digital storytelling is very labor intensive and requires strong media arts skills.

Tom took a number of photos of the ship and men during the winter months
as the ship was locked in snow and ice.

Also on Wednesday, Patricia passed along Tom Marshall's photo album containing pictures from his trip in 1900 to Nome, Alaska, and to the Aleutian Islands. FYI, Nome and the Aleutians are on the SW side of Alaska. If you are interested in seeing images of these photos, I put a new section together on the Tom Marshall's Tucson website.

We are in the final phases of Tom Marshall's Tucson. You can visit the website in pre-production and also watch as we build A Personal Journey Through the University Neighborhood Built by Louise Foucar Marshall, 1901-1951.

Maritza Wright of the UA Learning Technologies Center is developing the web interface and stylesheet for this new website. Here is the design Maritza created that we will use for the website.

We are very pleased to announce that Patricia Peters Stephenson has granted the UA permission to created electronic text versions of her books, Tom Marshall's Tucson and A Personal Journey Through The University Neighborhood Built By Louise Foucar Marshall, 1901-1951.

Tom Marshall at his typewriter in the Marshall home, c. 1914

In 1956, Louise Foucar Marshall bequeathed her personal possessions to Ms. Stephenson's mother. Among these possessions were Louise Foucar Marshall's photo collection, diaries, record books, personal and business letters. Re-prints of Tom Marshall's photographs may be found in archives and personal collections. However, Ms. Stephenson owns the original glass plate and film negatives and, therefore, owns the rights to this wonderful collection.

Louise Henriette Foucar, c. 1898

Thomas Keith Marshall began recording Tucson's history through photography from the early 1900s until his death in 1931. Visitors will find the visual record and accompanying history a fascinating telling of a Tucson long past. Watch this blog for updates on our progress.