by the Selectors of the Pratt Collection Management Department
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Ever wonder what it was like to be in the United States Naval Academy in 1893? The latest collection on Digital Maryland gives you an inside look at Annapolis, capturing the life of both the institution and the cadets training there. From 1882 to 1902, the title “naval cadet” was used instead of “midshipman”.
The collection of 150 photographs was taken in 1893 by Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952). Johnston, after her graduation from the Notre Dame of Maryland Collegiate Institute in 1883, trained at the Académie Julian in Paris and, upon return home to Washington, D.C. in the mid-1880s, studied photography and was trained in darkroom technique by Smithsonian Director of Photography Thomas Smillie, opening her own studio about 1890.
These photographs, which were taken early in her professional career, show the breadth of Johnson’s abilities as both a photojournalist and portrait photographer and an early interest in architectural photography.
Check out the entire collection, and much more at Digital Maryland.
By now, we’ve all seen the TV shows that show a celebrity having an expert trace their family tree so they can find out more about their history. Now, research experts can help you do the same thing for free. Four departments at the Enoch Pratt Central Library can help you trace the branches of your family tree.
The African American Department has 20 different guides to assist you in genealogy research. Over in the Maryland Department, check out the U.S. Census records for the state as well as Baltimore City directories. In Periodicals, a collection of historic newspapers on microfilm or databases contains death notices, obituaries, wedding announcement and out-of-state directories. And Social Science and History offers basic guides to tracing your family tree with staff on hand to point you in the right direction. To find out more about your family history for free, check out our Genealogy and Family History Resources at the Pratt.