Francis Bannerman family photographs 2001.229
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on September 14, 2021. Description is written in: English. Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Audiovisual Collections PO Box 3630 Wilmington, Delaware 19807 [email protected] URL: http://www.hagley.org/library Francis Bannerman family photographs 2001.229
Table of Contents
Summary Information ...... 3 Biographical Note ...... 3 Scope and Content ...... 4 Administrative Information ...... 4 Related Materials ...... 5 Controlled Access Headings ...... 5 Collection Inventory ...... 5
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Summary Information
Repository: Audiovisual Collections Creator: Bannerman, Francis, 1851-1918 Creator: Bannerman family Title: Francis Bannerman family photographs ID: 2001.229 Date [inclusive]: circa 1870-1970 Date: bulk 1969-1970 Physical Description: 0.25 Linear Feet General Physical 167 photographic prints : b&w ; 24 x 28.7 cm or smaller. Description: Language of the English . Material: Abstract: Francis Bannerman Sons was a major purveyor of military goods to sportsmen and collectors in New York City over three generations. The collection consists of photographs of Francis Bannerman and his family, including his wife, Nelly Boyce Bannerman, and his sons, David and Francis. The collection also includes photographs of Bannerman's Island Arsenal, including images of the 1969 fire in full blaze and its destructive aftermath.
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Biographical Note
Francis Bannerman (1851-1918) was a major purveyor of military goods to sportsmen and collectors in New York City, a business his family operated for three generations. Bannerman orginally worked for his father, who had purchased surplus military goods at scrap prices in the demobilization at the end of the Civil War. Bannerman went into business for himself in October 1872. Bannerman prospered and moved his store from Brooklyn to Manhattan in 1897, turning it into a showpiece museum of modern and antique weaponry and military memorabilia. To store his vast quantities of arms and ammunition, Bannerman bought Pollepel Island in the Hudson River Highlands in 1900 and in 1908 erected a summer residence and Bannerman's Island Arsenal, patterned after the castles of the family's native Scotland.
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On January 1, 1917, Bannerman conveyed the business to his sons Francis (1873-1945) and David (1875-1957) as Francis Bannerman Sons. The business was downsized and moved to Long Island in 1959. Pollepel Island was sold to the state in 1967, but the buildings were gutted by fire in 1969.
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Scope and Content
Fewer than twenty pictures in this collection feature Francis Bannerman or his family. Among these are individual portraits of Francis at his Broadway office, several group shots of Bannnerman's sons and grandchildren and portraits of Bannerman's wife and son David. The majority of the images in this collection depict Bannerman's Island Arsenal, the castle-like warehouse and summer retreat built by Francis Bannerman on the Hudson to house his collections of military memorabilia. These photographs were taken after the island and castle had been sold to the State of New York and had been gutted by a massive fire in 1969. A few of the photographs show the arsenal in full blaze, while the majority focus on the post-fire damage and disrepair of the island in the early 1970s.
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Administrative Information
Publication Statement Audiovisual Collections
PO Box 3630 Wilmington, Delaware 19807 [email protected] URL: http://www.hagley.org/library
Access Restrictions This collection is open for research.
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Related Materials
Related Material Francis Bannerman Sons, Inc. photograph collection (Accession 1998.284), Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.
Bannerman family records (Accession 2210), Manuscripts and Archives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.
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Controlled Access Headings
• Portraits • Group portraits • Fires • Genealogies • Bannerman's Island Arsenal (Fishkill, N.Y.)
Collection Inventory
Title/Description Instances Francis Bannerman portraits, circa 1870-1905 box 1 folder 1 Scope and Contents
Portraits of Frank Bannerman, some at his desk in his office at 501 Broadway.
Bannerman family members, circa 1870-1970 box 1 folder 2 Scope and Contents
Francis Bannerman's family members, including his wife, Nellie Boyce Bannerman, and his sons, David and Walter.
Bannerman Island Arsenal and Bannerman store, circa 1870-1970 box 1 folder 3
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Scope and Contents
Bannerman Castle, including the blazing fire and its aftermath; Bannerman's store, including a weaponry display; exterior of a home; and group shots on Bannerman Island.
Bannerman Island Arsenal after fire , circa 1969-1970 box 1 folder 4 Scope and Contents
Scenes after fire destroyed Bannerman Island Arsenal.
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