Amos Avery
was an associate in plant breeding for the Carnegie Institution of Washington
Department of Genetics (predecessor of the CSHL). Mr. Avery was in charge of
the gardens and greenhouses under Dr. Albert Blakeslee (center in the photo above) from 1926-42. He left
Cold Spring Harbor in 1943. During this time Mr. Avery and his wife Ruth took
hundreds of photographs in and around the Carnegie campus at Cold Spring
Harbor, NY. This collection, now housed in the CSHL Archives, includes 129
unsorted photographs, approximately 75 negatives, and 3 scrapbooks.
The photos
were given to the Archives by Mr. Avery’s daughter, Nancy Avery in April 1999,
shortly after his death. It was accessioned and processed by Clare Clark and
Brian Soldo, by a grant provided by the New York State’s Documentary Heritage
Program (DHP), a statewide program ensures the survival of New York's
documentary heritage by providing financial support and guidance to the
not-for-profit organizations that hold, collect and make available the state's
historical records.
A page from an Avery scrapbook -- the "Carnegie" building in the top right photograph is now the CSHL Library.
The majority
of the Avery’ photos are from the 1930s, and the collection gives a view of
the scientific and personal lives of scientists within the early days of the
Department of Genetics of the Carnegie Institution of Washington at Cold Spring
Harbor. It will also be of interest to anyone interested in Long Island history
of that era, and includes images of the Roosevelt Field airfield, Otto Kahn’s
Oheka estate, and Walt Whitman’s birthplace. The scrapbooks contain detailed
captions. An interesting photograph caption says “Charles Lindberg comes to
visit…", however, the image is so small it’s virtually unrecognizable.
- Brian Soldo, DHP Grant Intern
- Brian Soldo, DHP Grant Intern
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