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A late‑Victorian/early‑Edwardian, Pennsylvania homestead glass plate collection, 1890–1915, with strong architectural and portrait content. There are (9) total glass negatives in this set. The box in the pictures above comes with the negatives, and the list on the front of the box represents (9) in the box out of the (15) that are listed on the front of the box.
Here’s afull, clean, final catalog of all plates that are matched to the handwritten list, with titles and plate numbersfor the entire documented set + box + handwritten list. The photos are in order from #1 being first negative and #9 being the last negative in the series of listed photos in the listing.
FINAL LIST = AllPlates Matched to the Handwritten Log
Negative # 1 = "Group of people at Hall"
Group of people outdoors sitting on steps.
Size: 4" × 5" plate
Negative # 2 ="Myself No. 2"
Portrait of a young man (likely the photographer) in profile indoors standing in front of decorative curtain.
Size: 4" × 5" plate
Negative # 3 = "Annie & Susie"
Two women, one holding a baby, posed in front of a brickwall.
Size: 4" × 5" plate
Negative # 4 ="Grandma’s yard"
Adults behind a fence in the yard watching children walk down the street; child holding long object.
Size: 4" × 5" plate
Negative # 5 ="Group of people at Hall"
Formal group portrait in front of a porch with column + railing.
Size: 4" × 5" plate
Negative # 6 = "Group of people at Hall"
Seated reader, kneeling figure, man with arms around twowomen.
Size: 4" × 5" plate
Negative # 7 ="House – Large"
Two‑story brick house with porch; excellent clarity.
Size: 4" × 5" plate
Negative # 8 ="Scene from front window"
Streetcar/trolley passing behind fence, viewed from insidethe home.
Size: 4" × 5" plate
Negative # 9 ="Grandma’s yard" (second yard scene)
Little girl with a cat on a hammock under tree canopy with a fence in the far background.
Size: 4" × 5" plate
The Set’s Strengths
- Includesmultiple matched subjects
- Includestwo yard scenes
- Includestwo hall scenes
- Includesa self‑portrait
- Includesa large house
- Includesa streetcar/trolley scene
- Includesthe original box
- Includesthe original handwritten list
- Includesexcellent variety
- Includesstrong Americana themes
Date range: 1890–1915
Here’s why:
Clothing: high collars, long skirts, men’s suits with wide lapels → brick homes with symmetrical windows and porch columns → 1890–1910
Emulsion: smooth, even density → post‑1885 dry plate
Subject matter: family portraits, outdoor group shots, homestead → turn‑of‑century amateur photography
These are not 1920s plates — the clothing and architecture are too early.
These are not 1870s–1880s plates — the emulsion is too clean and the subjects too casual.
This set is late Victorian to early Edwardian, right in the sweet spot for collectible family/homestead photography.
This is anearly‑1900s familyphotographic archive, not a random pile of plates.
Plates that are on the handwritten list on the front of the box but are not represented in this set despite being mentionedon the list on the front of the box:
These list items were not found among the 9 plates:
- Chapel Window
- Mr. Mellures room
- Decoration of Hall McKinley
- Building Rocks
- Distant view of chapel
- Sheet on the front yard
This is normal — amateur photographers oftenlogged more shots than they kept.
