Americana
Album containing approx. 350 photographs documenting the journey of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. 1915.

Oblong album, approx. 11 1/4 x 14 in., spine with "The Liberty Bell, 1915" in gilt, containing more than 350 silver gelatin photographs, majority approx. 4 3/4 x 7 in., with a small number measuring 8 x 10 in. Photographs mounted recto/verso on 11 x 12 1/2 in. album pages, some with handwritten notations identifying cities and subjects on recto.

An exceptional album replete with photographs documenting the Liberty Bell's passage from Philadelphia to San Francisco as well as its return trip back east in 1915. The bell was sent to be displayed at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, which celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal and San Francisco's rebuilding efforts after the 1906 earthquake.

From patriotic parades and military demonstrations to informal photographs of parents and children posed with the Liberty Bell, the images capture the pomp and circumstance associated with the iconic American symbol. Many of the photographs feature thousands of spectators of various ages and ethnicities gathered together to celebrate the arrival of the artifact at multiple train stops between the East and West Coasts. The photographs depict the Liberty Bell's ceremonious departure from Philadelphia on 5 July 1915, at which time the artifact was removed from its armature and transferred to a flatbed railroad car for cross-country transport. In the months that followed, the bell traveled over 10,000 miles through 13 states. The album documents stops at cities and towns throughout America's heartland, including: Lancaster, PA; Harrisburg, PA; Upper Sandusky, OH; Ft. Wayne, IN; Plymouth, IN: Gary, IN; Moline, IL; Iowa City, IA; Des Moines, IA; Topeka, KS; Kansas City, MO; Omaha, NE; Lincoln, NE; Ault, CO; Cheyenne, WY; Morgan, UT; Salt Lake City, UT; Ogden, UT; Huntington, OR; Baker, OR; La Grande, OR; Cayuse, OR; Spokane, WA; Seattle, WA; Tacoma, WA; Consumer, CA; Sacramento, CA; and San Francisco, CA; Pueblo, CO; Oroville, CA; Orange, CA; San Diego, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Bowie, AZ; Lordsburg, NM; El Paso, TX; San Antonio, TX; Ft. Worth, TX; Dallas, TX; Crowley, LA; Memphis, TN; Dyersburg, TN; St. Louis, MO; Vandalia, IL; Louisville, KY; Youngstown, OH; Buffalo, NY; Rochester, NY; Geneva, NY; Phillipsburg, NJ; Lambertville, NJ; and Trenton, NJ.

Several photographs depict the events surrounding the arrival of the Liberty Bell in San Francisco and its placement at the Pennsylvania Building at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, where it was displayed from 17 July to 25 November 1915. Government officials, military figures, and civilians are shown posed with the bell, most notably Thomas Edison and a Native American chief. Additional images of note include scenes of a rodeo in Cheyenne, WY, and two views of the members of the "train crew," comprised mainly of African American porters and cooks who embarked on the cross-country journey. The album also contains seven (7) photographs showing General John J. Pershing's celebratory visit to the Liberty Bell in September 1919.

This lot is located in Cincinnati.

AmericanaAlbum containing approx. 350 photographs documenting the journey of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. 1915.

AmericanaAlbum containing approx. 350 photographs documenting the journey of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. 1915.

Americana
Album containing approx. 350 photographs documenting the journey of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. 1915.

Americana
Album containing approx. 350 photographs documenting the journey of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to San Francisco for the Panama-Pacific Exposition. 1915.