Is there a home for old (60s-70s) slides of factories?
August 15, 2022 5:06 PM Subscribe
I seem to have inherited a box of 35mm color slides from a former engineer.
The slides are from site surveys at different factories or mining operations, there are a dozen or so from each project. They're from things like "E. Paterson Forklift Operation" December 1971-January 1973.
Example one, example two.
They are extremely boring, there are rarely people in them, or any context for the pictures of things like a pile of I beams, or pouring of a concrete foundation. But they are documentary evidence of how New Jersey built stuff in the 70s.
It's a single Zephyr duofile slide box that holds about 120 slides, maybe there are 100 in there.
What should I do with them?
Example one, example two.
They are extremely boring, there are rarely people in them, or any context for the pictures of things like a pile of I beams, or pouring of a concrete foundation. But they are documentary evidence of how New Jersey built stuff in the 70s.
It's a single Zephyr duofile slide box that holds about 120 slides, maybe there are 100 in there.
What should I do with them?
Best answer: If you have a local history museum, they’d probably at least look at them to see whether they’d want them.
posted by kevinbelt at 6:11 PM on August 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by kevinbelt at 6:11 PM on August 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Do you know where the mines are located? Geography influences potential answer.
posted by sardonyx at 6:20 PM on August 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by sardonyx at 6:20 PM on August 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Is there a college/university archives or engineering library in the state where the operation was? It might be worth checking with the archivist or collection management team.
posted by horsegnut at 3:43 AM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by horsegnut at 3:43 AM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Library of Congress maintains a very extensive collection on Flickr, with much of it focused on Americana/history of places/"the way we were" kind of stuff. I have no idea how you contact the right person there, but there may be interest there (especially if they're well annotated).
posted by backseatpilot at 7:26 AM on August 16, 2022
posted by backseatpilot at 7:26 AM on August 16, 2022
This is definitely something to donate to a historical society geographically related to the images.
posted by RedEmma at 12:21 PM on August 16, 2022
posted by RedEmma at 12:21 PM on August 16, 2022
Best answer: The Hagley Museum outside Wilmington DE has a bunch of things like that, not sure of their geographic range. I think there's another industrial museum in Bethlehem PA.
posted by sepviva at 8:37 PM on August 16, 2022
posted by sepviva at 8:37 PM on August 16, 2022
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posted by Winnie the Proust at 5:46 PM on August 15, 2022 [3 favorites]