C.L. Baley collection

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Description: The C.L. Baley Collection depicts his period of service in the New York 203rd Volunteer Infantry, Company A, from July 1898 to March 1899.Baley was stationed at Camp Black, Long Island, New York (Summer 1898); Camps Mead and Conewago, both in Pennsylvania (Fall 1898); and Camp Wetherill (spelled Witherill in captions), near Greenville, South Carolina (late 1898 to early 1899). The collection consists of individual and group portraits of Baley, fellow soldiers and officers, and African-American civilians who either worked on or lived near the camps; views of camps; scenes of military life; some views of battleships in dock; and views of landscapes and nearby towns. The collection contains no personal photographs from Baley's civilian life, views of military action, or depictions of black soldiers or officers.Portraits of Baley consist of some individual portraits of him in uniform and a group portrait of him with other soldiers, wearing pajamas, at Camp Black, Long Island, New York (July 1898); and some individual and group portraits of Baley in uniform, including a view of him sharing a tent with fellow soldiers, at Camp Wetherill, Greenville, South Carolina (late 1898 to early 1899). The majority of individual and group portraits of the other soldiers and officers of the New York 203rd are depicted in views from Camp Wetherill, which include formal portraits of soldiers and officers in full uniform; candid portraits of soldiers or officers in camp; a series of portraits of officers posing with their horses; and a series of portraits of a rifleman displaying the different positions of a rifle drill. Many of the individuals depicted are identified.Depictions of the African-American civilians affiliated with Camp Wetherill include views of men driving horse-drawn wagons for the soldiers; views of women carrying or collecting soldiers' laundry; group portraits of Greenville residents, some posing with soldiers; a view of some dwellings; a series of portraits of former slaves Richard and Clarissa Addison at home and with their family; and a portrait of a male youth identified as the "Laughing Coon of the 203rd New York." An earlier view from Camp Conewago, Pennsylvania, depicts a group of blacks doing the "Cake Walk" (ca. Oct. 1898).The majority of photographs depicting military life and military camps are from Camp Wetherill, South Carolina. Included are views of solders and officers tents; views of the mess halls, camp hospital and bakery at Camp Witherill; views of military drills and inspections; views of a skirmish between the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 203rd at Camp Wetherill; and officers breaking camp at Camp Meade, Pennsylvania (ca. Sept. 1898). Also depicted are views of the city of Greenville, S.C., including the former slave market; a railroad bridge near Camp Conewago, Penn.; views of Federal government buildings and the White House in Washington, D.C.; and views of the battleships U.S.S. Iowa and Oregon and the cruiser U.S.S. New York in dock at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. Of note are an image of a plaque honoring those who died for the Confederacy and a view of an unidentified Black man being lynched.
Names: Baley, C.L. (Compiler)
Dates / Origin: Date Issued: 1898 - 1899
Library locations: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division; Shelf locator: Sc Photo C.L. Baley Collection
Topics: Baley, C.L; United States, Army -- Military life; United States, Army -- Officers; United States, Army. New York Volunteer Infantry, 203rd, Company A.; Iowa (Battleship); Oregon (Battleship); Military camps -- United States; Military life -- United States; African Americans -- Economic & social conditions -- South Carolina -- Greenville; Dwellings -- South Carolina -- Greenville; Public buildings -- South Carolina -- Greenville; Naval yards & naval stations -- New York (State) -- Brooklyn; Public buildings -- Washington (D.C.); United States -- Armed Forces -- Civilian employees; Camp Wetherill (Greenville, S.C.); Camp Black (Long Island, N.Y.); Camp Conewago (Pennsylvania); Camp Meade (Pennsylvania)
Genres: Portrait photographs; Group portraits; Inscriptions; Photograph albums
Notes: Content: Title based on photo album inscriptions and captions.; Content: Almost all photographs are mounted on loose photo album pages and bear handwritten captions; one photograph is on mount board and has handwritten caption on recto. Front cover of photo album bears inscriptions on verso.; Biographical/historical: Cornelius L. Baley served in the 203rd New York Volunteer Infantry, Company A, from July 15, 1898 to March 27, 1899, during the Spanish-American War (1898). Baley, who was white, spent his first two months of service at Camp Black, Long Island, New York, followed by one month stays at Camp Mead and Camp Conewago, both in Pennsylvania. His remaining period of service, from late November 1898 to March 1899, was spent at Camp Wetherill near Greenville, South Carolina.
Physical Description: Gelatin silver prints; Extent: 1 photo album (290 items) : 14 pages, 1 mounted print ; 29 x 37 cm.; Extent: 11 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 21 x 26 cm. and smaller.; Extent: 208 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 6 x 9 cm.; Extent: 71 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 9 x 6 cm. and smaller.
Type of Resource: Still image
Identifiers: RLIN/OCLC: NYPG99-F984; NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b14946891; Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 3eaa9c00-d460-013a-9f7c-0242ac110003

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C.L. Baley collection

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