Photographs for Charleston, come hell or high water

The photographs were assembled primarily by Robert N. S. Whitelaw, and the text was prepared by Alice F. Levkoff for a book about the social history, natural disasters, and architecture of Charleston, South Carolina. Many images are classic views of the City, and many of the City's principal buildings are represented in some of the earliest and best photographs of them known to have been taken. A large number of buildings were subsequently damaged or altered, and some no longer survive. The natural disasters include the Earthquake of 1886, hurricanes during 1885 and 1911, and a tornado in 1938. The best represented photographers are Frances Benjamin Johnston, George L. Cook, Franklin F. Sams, and Howard R. Jacobs. Most of the approximately 400 photographs in the collection are 8X10 black-and-white prints. The original photographs that were copied for use in the book are primarily from the collections of the Charleston Museum, Carolina Art Association, South Carolina Historical Society, Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Service, Post-Courier, and Charleston Library Society. Numerous other sources include the Historic Charleston Foundation, Valentine Museum, and Southern Railway Company. Approximately 150 photographs collected for possible use were not published (particularly views of natural disasters and of the South Carolina & West Indian Exposition (1901-1902). Photographs taken after Hurricane Hugo in 1989 were added to the fourth and later printings. The photographs used in the book are arranged in page-number order, and the photographs that were not used are arranged topically. The collection also includes approximately 0.5 linear ft. of files relating to the preparation of the text and publication, about 50 copy negatives (4X5"), and a complete set of negatives for preparing printing plates.