Marriott C. Morris, J.R.M. [Jane
Rhoads Morris] & baby, ca. 1900.
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A young woman leans against a painted brick wall, her back
straight and her hair dark hair pulled into a knot at the top of her head. She holds a baby in her arms wrapped snugly
in a knitted blanket. The baby’s left hand is a blur of motion; despite his
calm expression he was unable to keep still for the photograph. Who was this
woman with the timid smile? And who was
this chubby cheeked child?
We know who this woman was partly because her husband,
Marriott C. Morris, decided to take her photograph. Her name was Jane Rhoads Morris and the baby
is probably one of her sons, Elliston Perot Morris or Marriott C. Morris
Jr. She married Morris in 1897, but her
husband had been taking photographs long before then.
Marriott C. Morris, Family group
at back porch of 4782 Main St. Father, Bess, Hannah, Mother, Aunt Lydia, Uncle
Charles Rhoads, Auntie Beulah. Geo. S. Morris & Catherine Harman, 1889.
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Marriott C. Morris was a member of a prominent Philadelphia
Quaker family who took his first photographs during his freshman year at
Haverford College. Morris continued to
document his life through photographs of his large extended family and network
of friends, his Germantown neighborhood and his many travels across the East
Coast and even Bermuda. One of his
favorite subjects was the Morris family home Avocado, located in Sea Girt, New
Jersey.
Marriott C. Morris, [Front view
of Avocado with two women sitting on the porch, Sea Girt, NJ], ca. 1900.
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Marriott C. Morris, [View of
Victorian decorated parlor, possibly Avocado at Sea Girt], ca. 1900.
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Thanks to a generous donation made by Marriott C. Morris’s
grandchildren David Marriott Morris, Eleanor Rhoads Morris Cox and William
Perot Morris in memory of Marriott Canby Morris, the Library Company will be
able to share these photographs with a wide audience. Through a process of research, digitization
and publication, people will be able to experience these photographs through
the Library Company’s blog, twitter feed and an upcoming online
exhibition. As the Assistant Project
Manager for this collection it is my hope that these photographs will not be
seen simply as images of nameless faces but as a record of lives well lived, as
a capsule of what Morris loved and wanted to remember. Even more, these photographs provide a window into the past, a snapshot of a time
and a place, that give us a glimpse of everyday life in late 19th century
Philadelphia. There is a lot to learn
from these photographs and I’m excited to share the Marriott C. Morris Photograph
Collection with you.
Alison Van Denend
Assistant Project Manager
Marriott C. Morris Photograph Collection
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