Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Digital Program Specialist.

Doctors performing an x-ray. ca. 1900

This Image of the Week comes from a folder titled “X-Ray Pictures.” The first ever x-ray imaging procedure was performed here at Dartmouth on February 3, 1896. The patient was local boy Eddie McCarthy who had broken his wrist ice skating. Dr. Gilman Frost and his brother, Edwin Frost, performed the procedure. See more images of x-rays in the Dartmouth photographic files.

Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Fellow.

Eddie Shevlin and the 1923 boxing class

Featured above is a photo from a folder titled “Boxing.” The photo features the 1923 Dartmouth boxing class with coach Eddie Shevlin.

Shevlin, born John Prendergast, was the Welterweight Champion of New England from 1921-1925. He served as boxing coach at Dartmouth from 1914-1916 while on hiatus from his own career due to injury. He began boxing again in 1919 and retired in 1925. He continued coaching at Dartmouth and other schools in New England after his retirement as a competitor.

See more photos of boxing at Dartmouth in the photographic files.

Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Fellow.

Commencement Ceremony in the Bema ca 1913

In honor of graduation last weekend, we have a photo from a folder titled “Commencement 1911-1922.” This photo was taken in 1913 and features graduating seniors seated in the Bema with family members gathered around.

Dartmouth’s first commencement was held in 1771, and featured only four graduating seniors. From 1795 to 1907, the ceremony was held in the Dartmouth College Church. As the size of the student body expanded, more space was needed, and commencement was moved to The Bema in 1932. In 1953 President Eisenhower attended, and the ceremony was moved to The Green to accommodate the crowd. It has remained there to this day.

For more information on the history of Dartmouth Commencement see the link here. See more images of Dartmouth Commencement here.

Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Fellow.

The Dartmouth Five ca 1967

Featured above is an image of The Dartmouth Five from a folder titled “Bands, I.” The Dartmouth Five was a Dixieland Band, active at Dartmouth in the late sixties. They produced an album titled Dartmouth Five: On The Road in 1968. Several members of the group reunited at the Heirloom Cafe in 2010 for the members of the Dartmouth Alumni Association of Silicon Valley. See a clip from the performance here, and more images of Dartmouth bands here.

Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Fellow.

A Dartmouth cycling club ca 1888

Above are the members of a Dartmouth bicycle club, pictured with penny-farthings. The image comes from a folder titled “Bicycle Club and Bicycling 2.”The numbers on the image correspond to an accompanying list of names, which can be seen in the Dartmouth photographic files here. This photo was likely taken sometime in the spring of 1888.

The penny-farthing was invented in 1869 and remained in common use till the 1880s, when it fell out of favor for the safety bicycle. Variants of the safety bicycle remain in use today.

See more images of cycling at Dartmouth here.

Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Fellow.

Wreckage of the Montreal Express 1887

This week we have an image from a folder titled “Hartford Vermont Bridge Disaster, February 5, 1887.” A card on the back of the image acts as a key for various images within a collection. An x indicates that this image is the eighth in the collection. The caption reads “Near view of south abutment from the ice with debris and the broken journal in foreground.”

As the folder name suggests, the Hartford Vermont Bridge disaster, the worst in the history of Vermont, occurred early in the morning on Saturday, February 5th, 1887. The Montreal Express jumped the tracks just outside of White River Junction and plunged fifty feet to the frozen river below. The wreckage caught fire, burning many of the unfortunate passengers alive. It’s reported that fifty to sixty died in the wreck, although the exact number isn’t known. See more images of the Hartford, Vermont bridge disaster here.

Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Fellow.

Filming of Way Down East ca 1920

Above is a photo from a folder titled Way Down East (Film). Way Down East is a 1920 silent film, directed by D.W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The climax of the film features a rescue on an icy river, filmed in White River Junction. In this photo, Gish can be seen lying on an ice floe out on the river.

Gish was one of the biggest stars of the silent era, playing in films like the controversial Birth of a Nation and the much lauded Broken Blossoms.  Supposedly, Gish’s hand was badly injured from submersion in the freezing water in this scene, and she had reduced mobility in the hand for the rest of her life.

See more photos from the production of Way Down East here.

Our series examining an Image of the Week from the photographic files, by Kevin Warstadt, Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Fellow.

Star Island ca 1891

Pictured above is Star Island from a folder titled “Isle of Shoals.” It is one of ten islands that make up the Isles of Shoals. These islands were once used for seasonal fishing camps by indigenous Americans, but were settled by Europeans in the early 1600s. Star Island now acts as a religious and educational conference center. See the image at the source here.