Introducing the Pantagraph Negative Collections

black and white photo of a group of people standing around a farm tractor — Alfalfa Show. 1937. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1930-1939). Photograph by Olin Piercy. Permission to display given by McLean County Museum of History.

Now included in the IDHH are two collections from the McLean County Museum of History. The Pantagraph Negative Collection 1930-1939 and 1940-1945 include roughly 48,000 scanned negatives from the Pantagraph, a newspaper headquartered in Bloomington. The collections include scans of negatives created by photographer-reporters between 1932 and 1945. The Pantagraph’s origins date back to 1846 and was known for its coverage of regional agricultural concerns, local sports, and community social events in 10 counties surrounding McLean County.

black and white photo of a group of men standing in a circle on a sidewalk while taking notes in notebooks — Family Circle (Pantagraph In House News). 1938. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1930-1939). Photograph by Charles A. Mercier. Permission to display given by McLean County Museum of History.

The collection, donated to Mclean County Museum of History by the Pantagraph, preserves vivid images of the early and mid 20th century, including the rise of industrial agriculture and the Great Depression in Central Illinois. Here’s a few of the gems from their collection:

black and white photo of a young woman in a bathing suit and bathing cap doing a handstand on a diving board above a pool — YWCA Swim Meet. 1938. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1930-1939). Photograph by John S. Bowman. Permission to display given by McLean County Museum of History.

black and white photo of aerial view of corn husking harvesters — Cornhusking Contests. 1938. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1930-1939). Photograph by Frank Bill. Permission to display given by McLean County Museum of History.

black and white photo of a woman feeding a nut to a squirrel sitting on her shoulder — Danvers, IL pet squirrel. 1940. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1940-1945). Photograph by Harlan Stranger. Permission to display given by McLean County Museum of History.

black and white photo of school children sitting in desks — Along the Road, Chenoa. 1941. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1940-1945). Photograph by Glenn Steeleye. Permission to display given by McLean County Museum of History.

black and white photo of two young men boxing with gloves in a ring — Boxing, Moline vs. Bloomington, Illinois. 1938. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1930-1939). Photograph by Percy Olin. Permission to display given by McLean County Museum of History.

black and white photo of a man and a women sitting next to each other and looking at a piece of paper the man is holding — Fifth Columnists. 1942. McLean County Museum of History. Pantagraph Negative Collection (1940-1945). Photograph by Ralph O. Baird Jr. Permission to display given by McLean County Museum of History.

For more of these two collections, visit the IDHH.

One Reply to “Introducing the Pantagraph Negative Collections”

Rochelle Gridley says:

January 18, 2021 at 1:26 pm

The Pantagraph Negatives Collection now includes two additional collections: 1946 – 1949 and the beginnings of the 1950 – 1959 collection!

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One Reply to “Introducing the Pantagraph Negative Collections”

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