Athens County Soldiers and Sailors Monument   Save
Albert J. Ewing Collection
Description: A landscape photograph of what is now College Green located on the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. The monument is the Athens County Soldiers and Sailors Monument, unveiled on the campus in 1893 to honor those who fought for the Union in the American Civil War. The monument still stands today although College Green looks vastly different. This photograph was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Like most of Ewing's work, it was likely taken in southeastern Ohio or central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed "Ewing Brothers" and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Albert J. Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio Historical Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_b06_f383
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Landscape photography; Ohio University--History;
Places: Athens (Ohio); Athens County (Ohio)