An Inventory of its Literary File Photography Collection at the Harry Ransom Center
Creator:
Hillyer Family
Title:
Hillyer Family Photography
Collection
Dates:
late-19th-early-20th century
Extent:
63 items
Abstract:
Black and white studio portrait
photographs (including eleven glass plate negatives) primarily of members of the
H.
B. (Hamilton Brisco) Hillyer family. Many of the photographs were created by studios
in Texas that were owned by H. B. Hillyer and his son, C. Ernest Hillyer. In
addition, the collection includes a photograph of the headstone of H. B. Hillyer
and
a newspaper article about John Freeman Hillyer.
Call Number:
Photography Collection
PH-02639
Language:
English
Access:
Open for research. Researchers must create an online Research Account and agree to
the Materials Use Policy before using archival materials.
Please note: Negatives cannot be accessed without curatorial approval.
Use Policies:
Ransom Center collections may contain material with sensitive or confidential
information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and
regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information
pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in the collections without
the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of
action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning
an
individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive
to a
reasonable person) for which the Ransom Center and The University of Texas at
Austin
assume no responsibility.
Restrictions on Use:
Authorization for publication is given on behalf of the University of Texas as the
owner of the collection and is not intended to include or imply permission of
the
copyright holder which must be obtained by the researcher. For more information
please see the Ransom Centers' Open Access and Use Policies.
Administrative Information
Acquisition:
958:0089:0003-0004 and 958:0402:0001-0049: Acquisition information not available;
979:0073:0001-0011: Gift of Mrs. Alton M. Compton, 1979 (G119).
The Rev. John Freeman Hillyer (1805-1894), a prominent Baptist minister and educator,
moved his family, including his son, H. B. (Hamilton Biscoe) Hillyer (1935-1903),
from Georgia to Texas in 1847. Father and son shared a common interest in
photography and John taught H.B. how to create daguerreotypes. H.B. began making
his
own daguerreotypes as early as 1857. H. B. Hillyer later operated successive studios
in Austin, Texas, from 1867 to 1887, becoming well-known for his photographs of
local sites and events as well as his portraits of Texas State government officials.
H. B. Hillyer married Mary Emma Storey (died 1885) in 1858, and they had four
children: Theodore, C. Ernest, Julia, and Jessie. In 1886, H. B. Hillyer and C.
Ernest went into business together, establishing H. B. Hillyer & Son. This
studio failed during the recession of 1887, but H. B. Hillyer soon opened a new
studio in Dallas, Texas. In 1889, H. B. Hillyer moved to Belton, Texas to join
C.
Ernest. Together they operated studios in Belton and Bowie, Texas until H.B.’s
death
in 1903. C. Ernest Hillyer operated his own studios in Bartlett and Belton, Texas,
but he is believed to have left the photography business around 1912. C. Ernest
Hillyer married Hattie Hillyer and was the father of Louise and Elizabeth (“Betty”)
Hillyer.
Sources:
Palmquist, Peter E. and Thomas R. Kailbourn. Pioneer
Photographers from the Mississippi to the Continental
Divide...1839-1865. Stanford:Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2006.
Young, William Russell III. “Hillyer, Hamilton Biscoe”. In Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed June 22, 2016.
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhi30
Scope and Contents
62 black and white studio portrait photographs from the late 19th century and early
20th century (including four ambrotypes and seven glass plate negatives). These
photographs primarily document four generations of the Hamilton B. Hillyer family:
Hamilton B. Hillyer and his wife, Mary Emma, and their children: daughters Jessie
and Julia, and sons Theodore and C. Ernest Hillyer; Hamilton B. Hillyer’s father,
John Freeman Hillyer; and son C. Ernest Hillyer’s wife, Hattie, and daughters,
Louise and Elizabeth (“Betty”). The photographs were mostly taken by galleries
in
Texas owned by Hamilton B. and/or C. Ernest Hillyer as evidenced by the gallery
names found on the prints. The later photographs were taken by the Thompson gallery
(Waco, Texas) and Gray’s Studio (Belton, Texas). The collection contains four
ambrotypes, seven glass plate negatives (of which five have corresponding prints)
and many card photographs including boudoir, imperial and cabinet card sizes.
Two
cabinet cards created by the H.B. Hillyer gallery contain portraits of one
unidentified man and one woman identified as “Libbie”. In addition, the collection
includes a late twentieth century photograph of the tombstone of H. B. Hillyer
in
Bowie, Texas, and a newspaper article about John Freeman Hillyer.
The photographs have been arranged by family member from oldest to youngest
generation. Photographs of unidentified individuals and non-photographic materials
follow. Dates have been estimated and titles derived by the archivist based on
inscriptions found on the photographs, where available, as well as from biographical
information.
