Collection M 0137 VC 0098

Armistead Thomson Mason Rust Collection 1887-1967

Table of Contents

User Information Historical Sketch Scope and Content Note Container List

Processed by Sarah Farver September 2018

Thomas Balch Library 208 W. Market Street Leesburg, VA 20176 USER INFORMATION

VOLUME OF COLLECTION: 3.85 cubic feet

COLLECTION DATES: 1887-1967, [Bulk 1893-1897]

PROVENANCE: Mame Warren, Rockbridge Baths, VA

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: Collection open for research

USE RESTRICTIONS: Physical characteristics and conditions affect use of this material. Photocopying not permitted. Visual materials may require special handling.

REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained in writing from Thomas Balch Library.

CITE AS: Armistead Thomson Mason Rust Collection, 1887-1967 (VC 0098), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

ALTERNATE FORMATS: None

OTHER FINDING AIDS: Past Perfect catalogue records

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS: None

RELATED HOLDINGS: Rust Family Papers (M 087), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA.

ACCESSION NUMBERS: 2018.0046

NOTES: Collection previously held at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. The collection was held by Ellen Rust (Craddock) Ivy and bequeathed to Mame Warren with the intention of finding a proper repository to house for the materials For additional information about Alaskan Frontier see also: Balch, Edwin Swift. Letters and Papers Relating to the Alaska Frontier. Philadelphia: Press of Allen, Lane & Scott, 1904.

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Armistead Thomson Mason Rust was born on 12 July 1862 to parents Armistead T. M. Rust (1820-1887) and Ida Lee Rust (1840-1921). Starting in 1881, Armistead studied at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1885, Armistead completed his studies, then served two years at sea before attending his official graduation ceremony in 1887. In 1887, Armistead married Anna Weems Rideout (1864-1951) at St. Anne’s Church in Annapolis, Maryland.

Armistead was stationed in Alaska from 1893 to 1896, serving on the USS Pinta, USS Ranger, and USS Monterey among other vessels. Armistead brought his family with him to the Alaska territory. His son, Armistead Thomson Mason Rust II, was born in 1893 in Sitka, Alaska. The USS Pinta was assigned to protect seal fisheries, one of the region’s primary assets in 1883, and sometimes sat in port at Fort Wrangel. The USS Monterey was commissioned in 1893 and assigned to the Pacific Squadron, making regular trips along the coasts of California and Washington. These vessels and locations are referenced in this collection.

Armistead left Alaska after the 1890s, but remained an officer in the US Navy until retiring in 1912, briefly coming out of retirement to serve in the First World War from 1917 to 1919. After retiring from the US Navy, Armistead served as superintendent of the Massachusetts Nautical Academy until 1932, when he moved back to Annapolis, Maryland. Armistead died on 29 December 1941 at the US Naval Academy Hospital, and was buried in the US Naval Academy Cemetery.

A surge in Magic Lantern Shows coincided with the “Klondike Fever” of the 1890s, piquing interest in images of Alaska. Companies used “magic lanterns” (also known as stereopticons) to show the bounty of Alaska, promising wealth for those who sought gold. Unlike these marketing schemes, Lantern Lecture, Alaska: What It Is Good For, highlighted the realistic beauty and assets of Alaska. Armistead’s images, taken roughly 10-20 years after those published in Alaska: What It Is Good For, echo the sentiments of the show.

SOURCES

An Officer of the US Navy. McAllister’s Series of “Lantern Lectures: Alaska and What it is good for, Illustrated by Sixty Photographic Lantern Slides. New York: T. H. McAllister.

Balzer, Dick. “The Magic Lantern and The Klondike Gold Rush.” The Magic Lantern Gazette 26, no. 4 (2014): 3-7.

Rust, Ellsworth Marshall. Rust of Virginia: Genealogical and Biographical Sketches of the Descendants of William Rust (1654-1940). Washington, 1940.

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Naval-History.net. “USS Pinta Description.” Last modified January 24, 2018. https://www.naval-history.net/OW-US/Pinta/USS_Pinta.htm

Mohl, Michael. “M-6 USS Monterey.” Accessed September 13, 2018. http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/monterey.htm

Wikipedia. “Armistead Rust.” Last modified April 2, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistead_Rust

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of 122 glass plate negatives, 15 photographic prints, and 3 film strips taken by Armistead T. M. Rust in the 1890s of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Most images show the Alaskan landscape, particularly in and near the city of Sitka, AK. Besides landscapes, there are some images of individuals (including infants and toddlers), images of animals (including dogs and donkeys), and Orthodox Church art and architecture. A few records included in the collection give context to the photographic materials, including Mr. Rust’s notebooks and lists, as well as a program for a “Lantern Lecture” show containing similar images of Alaska.

The collection was digitized in 2018, with the original plates, prints, and film stored at Thomas Balch Library. Most of the glass plates are size 5 X 4 inches, with a few larger plates size 8.5 X 6.5 inches. Although in overall good condition, a few plates have corners or other pieces missing, one plate is broken in half. Images are organized as follows: Box 1 contains glass plate negatives size 8.5 X 6.5in, Boxes 2-7 contain glass plate negatives size 5 X 4in, and Box 8 contains photographic prints and film strips. Manuscript materials are housed in M 0137.

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CONTAINER LIST

M 0137

Box 1

Folder 1 McAllister's Series of "Lantern Lectures." Alaska and What It Is Good For; By An Officer of the US Navy, Illustrated by Sixty Photographic Lantern Slides, n.d.

Folder 2 Notebook recording subjects of Alaska photographs, monetary accounts, coordinates and surveyor drawings, n.d.

Folder 3 Notebook recording of meals served to officers in a designated mess hall, n.d.

Folder 4 Sticker commemorating US victories at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic games

Folder 5 13 October 1893 receipt of purchases from W. P. Mills, dealer in general merchandise in Sitka, Alaska

Folder 6 August 1967 Letter to Mrs. Lowell Thomas Jr. regarding glass negatives of photos taken by Armistead Rust, lists the names/descriptions of glass plate negatives 1-86 and larger plates numbered 1-20

Folder 7 Typed list of individual names entitled "STEAM LAUNCH NO 54" with handwritten notations of provisions, n.d.

Folder 8 Typed list of individual names entitled "STEAM LAUNCH NO 171, " n.d.

Folder 9 Notes regarding the collection of glass negatives by Armistead Rust

VC 0098

Box 1

vc_0098_0016 Glass plate negative “Eight men on a porch, presumably in Alaska” vc_0098_0017 Glass plate negative “Scene of Sitka, Alaska with Russian Orthodox church”

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vc_0098_0018 Glass plate negative “Portrait of man in houndstooth check jacket” vc_0098_0019 Glass plate negative “Sitka, Navy Store House” vc_0098_0020 Glass plate negative “People in a rowboat in Sitka, Alaska” vc_0098_0021 Glass plate negative “Russian Orthodox church vc_0098_0022 Glass plate negative “Navy Store House, Sitka” vc_0098_0023 Glass plate negative “USS Monterey, dry dock” vc_0098_0024 Glass plate negative “Shoreline with town, presumably in Alaska” vc_0098_0025 Glass plate negative “Eight men on a porch” vc_0098_0026 Glass plate negative “Donkey” vc_0098_0027 Glass plate negative “Shoreline with piers” vc_0098_0028 Glass plate negative “Ship (Topeka) at wharf” vc_0098_0029 Glass plate negative “Mountain with river valley” vc_0098_0030 Glass plate negative “Marsh with river and mountains in background” vc_0098_0031 Glass plate negative “Madonna and child” vc_0098_0032 Glass plate negative “Lake with rock outcroppings and clouds over mountains” vc_0098_0033 Glass plate negative “Creek with forest”

Box 2 vc_0098_0034 Glass plate negative “Toddler in dress in front of door” vc_0098_0035 Glass plate negative “Baby in a dress” vc_0098_0036 Glass plate negative “Interior: rocking chair, lamp, tea table, banjo in corner” vc_0098_0037 Glass plate negative “Interior: woodstove, chair, and table next to window” vc_0098_0038 Glass plate negative “Interior: daybed in front of window, chair and desk” vc_0098_0039 Glass plate negative “Man in uniform (Navy?)” vc_0098_0040 Glass plate negative “Women in parlor” vc_0098_0041 Glass plate negative “Children in front of a house in the snow” vc_0098_0042 Glass plate negative “Baby in dress in a chair” vc_0098_0043 Glass plate negative “Baby in woman’s lap” vc_0098_0044 Glass plate negative “Baby in chair next to woman” vc_0098_0045 Glass plate negative “Baby in dress” vc_0098_0046 Glass plate negative “Baby in dress (further from camera” vc_0098_0047 Glass plate negative “Men at desk in a library” vc_0098_0048 Glass plate negative “Man in a robe with staff in front of a photographer’s drape”

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Box 2, continued vc_0098_0049 Glass plate negative “Women in front of two lamps with picture of puppies on wall” vc_0098_0050 Glass plate negative “Dog on floor”

Box 3 vc_0098_0051 Glass plate negative “Canal with buildings, small craft, rigged sailing vessels” vc_0098_0052 Glass plate negative “Baby girl in elaborate dress” vc_0098_0053 Glass plate negative “Baby in front of staircase” vc_0098_0054 Glass plate negative “Woman with child on lap” vc_0098_0055 Glass plate negative “Baby on woman’s lap” vc_0098_0056 Glass plate negative “Baby in woman’s lap” vc_0098_0057 Glass plate negative “City street in Tacoma, WA with wagons, signs, and Old City Hall” vc_0098_0058 Glass plate negative “Tacoma Court House” vc_0098_0059 Glass plate negative “Waterfall and mountains with trees” vc_0098_0060 Glass plate negative “Totem pole with building” vc_0098_0061 Glass plate negative “Totem poles with dog on porch” vc_0098_0062 Glass plate negative “Buildings with mountains in background” vc_0098_0063 Glass plate negative “Church with log bell tower, schedule visible” vc_0098_0064 Glass plate negative “Lake with pier” vc_0098_0065 Glass plate negative “Shoreline town across the water” vc_0098_0066 Glass plate negative “Warehouse, boat with oarsmen, barge on lake” vc_0098_0067 Glass plate negative “Lakefront town with people on dock and building”

Box 4 vc_0098_0068 Glass plate negative “Lakefront town, clothes-line in center of waterfront” vc_0098_0069 Glass plate negative “Waterfront with Navy storehouse, sailboat, barge, and waterfowl” vc_0098_0070 Glass plate negative “Willmore house, low tide” vc_0098_0071 Glass plate negative “Buildings behind frozen harbor” vc_0098_0072 Glass plate negative “Buildings with trees” vc_0098_0073 Glass plate negative “Military ship on water” vc_0098_0074 Glass plate negative “Boys in front of building” vc_0098_0075 Glass plate negative “Wooden structure surrounded by trees”

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Box 4, continued vc_0098_0076 Glass plate negative “Bell tower with clock face and antenna tower” vc_0098_0077 Glass plate negative “Man standing in woods” vc_0098_0078 Glass plate negative “Nature scene with trees and rocks” vc_0098_0079 Glass plate negative “Nature scene with trees, rocks, and body of water” vc_0098_0080 Glass plate negative “Woman on boardwalk, dog in street” vc_0098_0081 Glass plate negative “Large building with kiosks out front and a few men” vc_0098_0082 Glass plate negative “Lake with mountains” vc_0098_0083 Glass plate negative “Frozen lake, mountains” vc_0098_0084 Glass plate negative “Blockhouse at end of fence row” vc_0098_0085 Glass plate negative “Lake with hills, cloudy sky”

Box 5 vc_0098_0086 Glass plate negative “Beachfront with houses and children” vc_0098_0087 Glass plate negative “Trees, road with school building and mountain behind” vc_0098_0088 Glass plate negative “Snow-covered field with buildings behind” vc_0098_0089 Glass plate negative “Three buildings with bicycle on porch” vc_0098_0090 Glass plate negative “Street with buildings, visible signs, Sitka” vc_0098_0091 Glass plate negative “Street with Orthodox church, visible signs, Sitka” vc_0098_0092 Glass plate negative “Picket fence with lake and Sitka on the other side” vc_0098_0093 Glass plate negative “Harbor with three ships” vc_0098_0094 Glass plate negative “Ship on water, mountains in background” vc_0098_0095 Glass plate negative “People with life vests attempting to enter life boat” vc_0098_0096 Glass plate negative “Donkey in field” vc_0098_0097 Glass plate negative “Photo of photo of Russian trader/merchant Baranov” vc_0098_0098 Glass plate negative “Young boys in front of trees” vc_0098_0099 Glass plate negative “Bow view of sailing ship, row boat off beam” vc_0098_0100 Glass plate negative “Dog on ship’s deck in front of cannon” vc_0098_0101 Glass plate negative “Sailing ship, bow view”

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Box 5, continued

vc_0098_0102 Glass plate negative “Sailing ship in harbor with yacht behind” vc_0098_0103 Glass plate negative “Sailing ship, portside looking left”

Box 6 vc_0098_0104 Glass plate negative “Body of water with mountains” vc_0098_0105 Glass plate negative “Sailing ships moored alongside pier (The Yorktown and The San Francisco)” vc_0098_0106 Glass plate negative “Mountain with trees” vc_0098_0107 Glass plate negative “Blockhouse behind fence” vc_0098_0108 Glass plate negative “Two totem poles in front of building, man on porch” vc_0098_0109 Glass plate negative “Shoreline with Ft. Wrangler and pier” vc_0098_0110 Glass plate negative “Lake with shoreline, buildings, man in sailing craft” vc_0098_0111 Glass plate negative “Twin-masted sailing craft with five occupants” vc_0098_0112 Glass plate negative “Lake with buildings on shoreline, mountains” vc_0098_0113 Glass plate negative “Buildings, two tall trees, building under construction” vc_0098_0114 Glass plate negative “Lake, shore stacked with timber, woman on porch and street” vc_0098_0115 Glass plate negative “Lake with mountains, canoe with three occupants” vc_0098_0116 Glass plate negative “Women seated on boardwalk” vc_0098_0117 Glass plate negative “Lake shore with buildings and mountains” vc_0098_0118 Glass plate negative “Suspension bridge over river with trees and mountains” vc_0098_0119 Glass plate negative “Totem pole in front of cabin with tree line” vc_0098_0120 Glass plate negative “Totem pole next to fence” vc_0098_0121 Glass plate negative “Building with porch and people, church bell tower, wagon”

Box 7 vc_0098_0122 Glass plate negative “Seated woman holding a hat” vc_0098_0123 Glass plate negative “Boardwalk with Orthodox church in background, street with dog” vc_0098_0124 Glass plate negative “Lake with tree line”

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Box 7, continued

vc_0098_0125 Glass plate negative “Lake with mountains” vc_0098_0126 Glass plate negative “Street with buildings, church at end of street” vc_0098_0127 Glass plate negative “House with picket fence, three men on porch” vc_0098_0128 Glass plate negative “Lake/river between narrows” vc_0098_0129 Glass plate negative “Photo of a photo of the interior of a church” vc_0098_0130 Glass plate negative “Building with pier and lake, two sailing ships” vc_0098_0131 Glass plate negative “Water with land mass” vc_0098_0132 Glass plate negative “Water with sailboat and mountain in the distance” vc_0098_0133 Glass plate negative “Three men in a gulley” vc_0098_0134 Glass plate negative “Water with mountains” vc_0098_0135 Glass plate negative “Photo of a photo of Alexander Baranov” vc_0098_0136 Glass plate negative “Photo of a photo of Alexander Baranov” vc_0098_0137 Glass plate negative “Mountain”

Box 8 vc_0098_0001 Print on paper “Image of storefront and buildings in front of mountain” vc_0098_0002 Mounted print “Falls with rocks and trees” vc_0098_0003 Mounted print “Machinery, possibly military” vc_0098_0004 Mounted print “Three men cutting down a tree” vc_0098_0005 Mounted print “Men pulling deep-sea diver onto a boat, boat with cannon in distance” vc_0098_0006 Mounted print “Four sailboats on the water” vc_0098_0007 Mounted print “Frozen river/lake with mountains and trees” vc_0098_0008 Mounted print “Two men in rowboat with forested mountains in background” vc_0098_0009 Mounted print “Wave crashing on beach” vc_0098_0010 Mounted print “Mounted cannons” vc_0098_0011 Mounted print “Steamboat named Wakefield on the water” vc_0098_0012 Photograph print “Eight men on a porch” vc_0098_0013 Photograph print “Scene of town with Orthodox church and mountains in distance” vc_0098_0014 Photograph print “Portrait of man in hounds tooth check jacket”

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Box 8, continued

vc_0098_0015 Photograph print “People in rowboat with town and mountains in background” vc_0098_0138 Film negative “Water, homes, and sailboat” vc_0098_0139 Film negative “Shore with buildings in background” vc_0098_0140 Film negative “Large Orthodox church with bell tower and clock on front”

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