The Vosper Fonds: Exploring Glass Plate Negatives and Kingston Photography at the turn of the 20th Century

Abstract

When 250 glass plate negatives were donated to the Historical Society of Kingston and then to the University Archives, the only information available regarding the photographs included the donor’s name and the Frontenac Club as the location where they were found. The photographer’s identity, the location of the photographer’s studio (if he or she owned one) and why these photographs were taken remain a mystery. From the research gathered and conducted at the Queen’s University Archives, it is possible to impose a history upon the glass plates. The lack of contextual information allows creative investigation to occur and also allows for future historians to learn how to expand upon the research of others. More importantly the glass plate negatives represent an aspect of the local and cultural history of Kingston. While local history is often criticized as obscure and irrelevant to the larger cultural narrative of a people’s history, these glass plates offer future historians the opportunity to re-evaluate the importance of social history and its role in creating a cultural identity.