In a black and white photograph, an elderly man holding a cigar stands in front of a storefront called The Bone Studio, painted on the front window of the store, and look towards the camera with a small smile. To the left of the man is a door into the store with the building number 105 above the doorframe. On the window are vinyl details that say "PHOTOGRAPHS" and "Commercial, Portrait, Copies + Colors, and Kodak Finish". There are two posters pasted on the window that advertise for Blue Grass Shows at the Gainesville fair and a Wanted sign asking for physicians.
Elmer Harvey Bone Standing in Front of His Photo Studio Holding Cigar. n.d.

From 1927 to 1968, Elmer Harvey Bone (American, 1885-1976), captured the milestones and memories of Gainesville, Florida’s residents. Over the years, hundreds of people went to his studio to sit for formal, posed portraits. Bone also took his camera with him everywhere, ready to document public events. Whether it was a downtown parade, new courthouse construction, or a passerby on the street, he recorded as much as his film roll allowed. These photographs offer a partial view of Gainesville through his lens as a white photographer and businessman. They promote a lighthearted and people-centered view of the city with a focus on family, celebration, and fun.

Ryan Kolinsky, curator and designer
Under the supervision of Lourdes Santamaría-Wheeler

 

 

* Click on each image to view full screen 

Family and Community

In 1944, Gainesville and the University of Florida were rapidly growing. Thanks in part to the G.I. Bill, many families settled down in the area. These residents hired Elmer Harvey Bone to document special occasions, private spaces, and family bonds. 

Young woman reclines on hospital bed looking down lovingly at newborn in her arms
Wiggins, Mothers & Newborns. n.d.
In a black and white photograph, an elderly gentleman wearing round glasses and a suit with a bowtie sits on a plush chair with a pillow supporting his back and one underneath his right arm. Sitting next to him in a chair and holding his hand with both of hers, is an elderly woman wearing a dark long-sleeved dress. They look to the camera, neither one of them smiling, but simply posing together to preserve their likeness in this point of time. They are set up outside on the ground and in the background it appears to be a side of a house.
Gainesville, Unidentified. n.d.
In a black white photograph, a young man and a young woman sit together in an embrace for a posed picture. The man is dressed in a military uniform and the woman is wearing a dress. They sit on the grassy ground near a body of water.
Military. n.d.
In a black and white photograph, a family of multiple generations around 63 total gather for a group portrait. They are dressed in their Sunday best and organized into three rows in the shade of some trees. The background is filled with tall trees.
Robinson Family Group, Thanksgiving Dinner. November 27, 1947.
In a slightly out of focus black and white photograph, there are three women dressed in their Sunday best in the foreground. The woman on the left holds a tray with cups. The woman in the middle extends her cup towards the woman on the right who pours something into it. Behind them, there is a crowd of people waiting in line at a wooden stall, presumably the UF Market. In the top right in the foreground, palm fronds peek into the frame. In the background is a brick building with ivy clinging to its exterior walls. The Market is set up on a lawn in front of this building.
UF Market. n.d.

Celebrations

Celebrations bring people together. Graduations, parades, and holidays create community joy. And where there is joy, there are often cameras to capture the occasion.

In a black and white photograph, there are eight college students wearing graduation regalia for a posed picture. Written just below their feet on the photograph is "Old Friends Must Part" and to the right there is "Uni of FLA 6/2/30" written too.
"Old Friends Must Part". June 2, 1930.

College graduation is a bittersweet and fulfilling moment. Before the client received the photographs, Bone added a touch of melancholy to an otherwise celebratory negative in the handwritten quote, “Old Friends Must Part”.

Along the exterior wall of a paneled building on short brick stilts, nineteen black children around elementary school age wear bright colored or white graduation gowns. They are organized into three rows with the row in the foreground kneeling on the ground. Some look at the camera, while others look around. The sun is facing them directly making the whites of the image very bright.
Waldo Elementary. May 24, 1953.

 In Bone’s photographs, Black residents are often seen posed rather than candidly captured. Indoors or outdoors, Bone was a photographer for hire. This differs from many of the candid photos of community celebrations which feature mostly white residents.

In a black and white photograph, a black woman in her teens dressed in graduation regalia holds a rolled-up paper tied with a ribbon in her left hand touching her right shoulder. Her head is slightly tilted to the right as she looks towards the camera. The background is a plain colored backdrop.
Sarah Batie. May 8, 1954.
A black and white photograph of a black woman in her teens wearing a long, frilly prom dress, pearl necklace and earrings, and a corsage stands against a painted backdrop. She smiles towards the camera.
Sarah Batie. May 8, 1954.
In a dimmer black and white photograph, a young girl sits on a children's tricycle decorated with Christmas-themed decorations such as tinsel along the body of the bike and ribbon in the spokes of the bike's wheels. A white bow pins her hair in the back in a half-up half-down. She wears a long sleeve shirt with a white collar peeking out near her neck, long pants, and closed-toe shoes. She looks towards the camera as her body faces it sideways. She rides on the sidewalk. Behind her towards the left is a young boy looking at her and behind him is a hedge with a man and small boy behind it. In the background, a large brick building with palm trees outfront take up the space.
Christmas Parade (Kids on Bikes). November 28, 1941.
In this black and white photograph, a section of a parade progresses down a street heading towards the left. In the middle of a street there are two marching band people carrying each end of a big, circular bass drum. Painted on the side of the bass drum is a gator dressed in marching band regalia holding a bass drum and the words "Gator Band" along the top register of the side and "University of Florida" along the bottom register of the side. In the background, people are gathered along the street corner and the rest of the parade route is in front and behind the drum as they make the turn to head left down a street.
UF Homecoming Parade (Auburn). November 2, 1956.
In a black and white photograph, two young women dressed in a-line dresses from the 1950s each hold a handheld suitcase looking at one another with their side profiles facing the camera. They're standing at the end of a driveway with a car that has its trunk open. The girl on the left has her left hand resting on the edge of the open trunk of a Lincoln car. The car's trunk is filled with various suitcases and boxes. Behind the girls and the car, is a house.
H.L. Brower, Two daughters leaving for college. September 9, 1954.
In a field with a crowd of people along the perimeter, children gather around a pole each holding a streamer preparing to run in one direction.
Waldo H.S. - May Pole, May Day. May 8, 1952.

Fun

A far cry from posed portraits in a studio, these images showcase a light-hearted side of Gainesville residents.

In the midground heading into the background, people are dancing in pairs on a brick road while others stand on the sidewalk watching.
Street Dance - Couples dancing in downtown Gainesville. n.d.
In a black and white photograph, a slightly out of focus scene unfolds with a flurry of people captured mid-motion in a close-up of a crowd. An elderly man in a suit speaking to a woman bringing her hands to her face mid-laugh becomes the subject of the photo. The photo has a high contrast due to it being a bright sunny day.
Gainesville, Unidentified. n.d.
Leaning behind an open car door, a woman wearing a hat looks down with a slight smile at the rooster in her hands.
Lloyd McKinney, Two views car + rooster. August 26, 1952.
In a black and white photograph, a middle-aged man looks towards the camera with a neutral expression and his body mostly turned away. He wears a loose, white long-sleeved shirt, a medium-brimmed hat. Resting on his left shoulder closest to the camera is a fox squirrel. In the background out of focus is a brick road, brick building with an awning, and a parked car.
Man + Fox Squirrel "snaps". August 19, 1939.
In a black and white photograph, a man in nothing but shorts and a pair of dress shoes is hunched over onto the ground face first over a structure of some kind in the middle of a brick road. In the background, there is a car parked on the road with a lamp post alongside the sidewalk. Written on the photograph post-development is "4. "Bone" Photo."
Egg-Nosie Race, Initiation. April 30, 1928.
In a black and white photograph, a person dresses in feminine clothing. They wear a silk scarf tied around their neck, a striped shirt, and a long, floral a-line skirt. They are sporting winged eyeliner and have curly short hair. They look to the camera with a big smile on their face.
Gainesville, Unidentified. n.d.

This exhibition is a collaboration between the Matheson History Museum and the University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries.

Exhibits at the University of Florida Libraries George A. Smathers Libraries
Matheson History Museum
Scroll to Top