Muscular Development - Underwood & Underwood - Children’s Aid Society Italian House photograph collection. N.Y

There are several things I love about photographic pioneers ‘Underwood & Underwood’. Firstly, the name. Simple and effective, a joy to see. The second, their mystery. I have done some hunting around, and apart from a few archives giving a short blurb, I can’t seem to find out too much about the once Kansas based outfit.

What I do know is this. Between 1882 and 1920. Bert and Elmer Underwood created an industry leading business, creating 10 million stereo view photographs in 1900. They eventually ceased to be in the 1940’s.

The images, for the time, were staggeringly high quality, and they made sure to capture as much as they could, with countless Stereoscopic views taken in America, Canada and the UK. You can see some views of Edinburgh here.

Despite their prolific and, I’m assuming, much celebrated work in the city streets, their documentation of the Children’s Aid Society c1909, in Italian House, New York, seen above, deserves the most attention.

The crowded rooms, the somber faces of pupils, the dark and moody decor.

The Harvard University Library has the collection digitalised, so here, have a look through.

  •