ca. 1860-ca. 1910
Guide to the Collection
Abstract
This collection consists of photograph albums belonging to James Murray Forbes and his wife Alice Bowditch Forbes.
Biographical Sketch
James Murray Forbes was born in 1845, the son of Rose Greene (Smith) Forbes and Robert Bennet Forbes. In 1871, he married Alice Francis Bowditch (1848-1929), and the couple had three children: Allan Forbes (1874-1955), Mary Bowditch Forbes (1878-1961), and Dorothy Murray Forbes (1881-1944). James Murray Forbes was admitted to Harvard as a member of the Class of 1866, but attended only his freshman year, opting instead to work for Russell and Company in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Canton. After his marriage, he served as Russell and Company's agent in Boston for a time and then worked as an officer for several railroad and investment companies. He maintained a house at 107 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston; one at Milton, Mass.; and one at Dark Harbor, Maine. He died in 1937.
Collection Description
The James Murray Forbes photograph albums document the Forbes family of Milton and Boston, Mass., and their relationships with other prominent Massachusetts families, including members of the Bowditch, Lowell, Russell, and Sturgis families among many others. The carte de visite albums contain a number of portraits of men associated with Harvard University, as well as men with whom Forbes likely worked in China.
The albums also include photographs of family members riding horses, playing polo, bicycling, sailing, and participating in foxhunts. The collection also includes albums of commercial photographs documenting the family's travels in England, Scotland, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, as well as an album of snapshots taken during a family trip to Pau for a foxhunt. Volume 9 of the collection is an album of photographs of Colombia prepared for Forbes by the Cartagena-Magdalena Railway Company.
Acquisition Information
Gift of the China Trade Museum, Milton, Mass., 1984.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Forbes family photograph albums, ca. 1860-1900
Vol. 1: Carte de visite album
This carte de visite album was likely owned by James Murray Forbes. Included are photographs of family members, friends, and Harvard classmates, including actors in costume for Hasty Pudding theatricals.
Sturgis, Henry Parkman
Taken by J. A. Whipple, Boston.Caption: Henry P. Sturgis brother of Russell Sturgis.Sturgis, Elizabeth Orne Paine
Caption: His 2d wife.Quincy, Samuel Miller
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.Caption: Sam Quincy.Lowell, Charles Russell
Taken by Black & Case, Boston.Caption: Col. Lowell.Lowell, Josephine Shaw
Caption: Mrs. Lowell.Unidentified man
Taken by J. A. Whipple, Boston.Curtis, George William
Taken by J. A. Whipple, Boston.Forbes, James Murray, 1862
Tintype.Motley, John Lothrop
Taken by Silsbee, Case & Co., Boston.Caption: J. Lothrop Motley Historian & Minister to St. James."His daughter"
Taken by Silsbee, Case & Co., Boston.Unidentified woman
Sargent, Daniel
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.Caption: Daniel Sargent.Unidentified soldier
Taken by J. A. Whipple, Boston.Dwight, Howard
Taken by J. A. Whipple, Boston.Unidentified woman
Taken by J. A. Whipple, Boston.Codman, Dick
Taken by J. A. Whipple, Boston.Jackson, Charles & James Jackson
Taken by Black & Batchelder, Boston.Caption: Chas & Jim Jackson.Boit, Edward
Taken by George K. Warren, Cambridgeport.Unidentified women
Caption: Misses Jeffries?Unidentified women
Unidentified woman
Taken by Black & Batchelder, Boston.Lee, Lizzie
Taken by Black & Batchelder, Boston.Unidentified woman
Unidentified woman
Taken by Helsby & Co.Unidentified woman
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.Sturgis, Frederick
Caption: Fred Sturgis, died 1919.Unidentified women
Blank
Motley, Lawrence
Caption: Lawrence Motley.McBurney, Henry Horton
Caption: Horton McBurney.Warren, [Coll.]
Amory, Charles "Ned"
Taken by G. K. Warren, Cambridgeport.Caption: Ned Amory.Dabney, Lewis Stackpole
Taken by G. K. Warren, Cambridgeport.Codman, Richard
Taken by G. K. Warren, Cambridgeport.Caption: Dick Codman.Marie Sophie of Bavaria
Written on verso: Ex-Queen of Naples.Dexter, George
Taken by J. A. Whipple, Boston.McBurney, Jack
Taken by J. W. Black.Unidentified soldier
Taken by G. K. Warren, Cambridgeport.On verso: Eugene left Boston on November 6, 1862.Blank
Unidentified woman
Taken by Black & Batchelder, Boston.Chapman, Susie
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.Caption: Susie Chapman Mrs. Fred Dexter."Hitty Whackpole"
Taken by Taken by G. K. Warren, Cambridgeport.This photograph depicts an unidentified young man in costume for a Hasty Pudding Club performance.
Unidentified man
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.Horse
Unidentified woman
On verso: A. H. L. on horseback at Readville, Mass., June 1863.Warren, Mason, & Shattuck, 6 Dec. 1862
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.This photograph depicts three young men in dresses for a Hasty Pudding theatrical.
Blank
Taken by Black & Batchelder, Boston.Willard, Joseph Henry & Nisbet Lawrence
Taken by Harley, Metcalf & Winter, Cambridge.Inscribed on cover of album: Willard & Nisbet Lawrence, classmates of J.M.F. expelled from '66 for resurrecting the forbidden foot ball fight.Vol. 2: Carte de visite album
This album was owned by James Murray Forbes. MACT number JMF1.
Forbes, Robert B.
Taken by Robinson & Thompson, Liverpool.Forbes, Mrs. Wm.
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Forbes, Frank
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Saltonstall, Josie Lee
Taken by Gihon & Rixon, Philadelphia.Peabody, Endicott
Taken by Whipple, Boston.Stackpole, Martha
Taken by Kimberly Bros. National Gallery, Fortress Monroe.Caption: Mrs. Lewis Stackpole.Stackpole, Joseph Lewis, 1861
Taken by Black, Boston.Caption: Mr. Lewis Stackpole.Boit, Mary Louisa Cushing
Taken by Whipple, Boston.Caption: Mrs. Edw. Boit.Cushing, Thomas
Taken by Disderi & Cie, Paris.Caption: Mr. Tom Cushing.Pomeroy, S. W., 1869
Taken by L. Subercaze, Pau.Hand-colored.Blank
Unidentified man [James M. Forbes?] with horse
Unidentified man with horse
Hand-colored.>Blank
Unidentified man
Taken by Sache & Westfield, Calcutta.Image has been drawn on in ink.>Blank
Forbes, W. H. Jr., 1868
Taken by Bradley & Rulofson, San Francisco.Tuckerman, Mr.
Taken by Black, Boston.Dumaresq, Philip
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Caption: Captain Dumaresq.Wheatland, Mrs.
Taken by Black & Batchelder, Boston.Blank
Unidentified man
Unidentified man
Watkins, Jim
Taken by Bradley & Rulofson, San Francisco.Action off Cherbourg, 19 June 1864
Photograph of a painting by J. W. Anderson, taken by an unidentified photographer.Sauermann, F. W.
Taken by Ye-Chung, Shanghai.Unidentified man
Unidentified man
Unidentified man
Taken by Ye-Chung, Shanghai.Unidentified man
Taken by Ye-chung, Shanghai.Unidentified men
Broken tintype of two unidentified men. The top part of the image has been drawn in.Blank
Forbes, Pauline
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Holmes, C. C.
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.Caption: Dr. C. C. Holmes.Lothrop, Samuel Kirkland
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.Caption: Dr. S. K. Lothrop.Cabot, Edward Clarke
Taken by Marshall & Co., Boston.Cabot, Martha Eunice Robinson
Taken by Whipple, Boston.Caption: Mrs. E. Cabot.Blank
Dumaresq, Philip
Jackson, James
Taken by Ye-Chung, Shanghai.Jackson, Charles & James Jackson, 1863
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Blank
Lee, Robert E.
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Photograph has been drawn on in ink. Caption: Genl. Robert E. Lee Rebel General.Vol. 3: Carte de visite album
Vol. 3 contains mostly unidentified photographs. The identified persons include James Murray and Alice Bowditch Forbes, Henry Sturgis Russell, Robert Bennet Forbes, and H. G. Curtis. MACT number JMF2.
Vol. 4: Carte de visite album
This album contains cartes de visite and has "J.M.F. 1863" printed in gold on the front cover. Included are photographs taken in Shanghai, San Francisco, and Hong Kong, as well as Boston and Cambridge, Mass. MACT number JMF3.
Forbes, Frank
Taken by Ye-Chung, Shanghai.Foster, Mr.
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Forbes, W. H. and an unidentified man
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Dumaresq, Philip
Taken by Addis & Koch, San Francisco.Jackson, James
Taken by Ye-Chung, Shanghai.Leembruggen, [J. W.]
Taken by Dinmore Brothers, Shanghai.Foster, Fred
Taken by Dinmore Brothers, Shanghai.Unidentified man
Taken by Dinmore Brothers, Shanghai.Unidentified man
Unidentified man
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Unidentified man
Taken by G. D. Morse, San Francisco.Jackson, James Jackson & Fred [Stone?]
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Unidentified men
Unidentified man
Unidentified man
Taken by Dinmore Brothers, Shanghai.[Leon?], Edward
Taken by Dinmore Brothers, Shanghai.Perry, Edward
Taken by Floyd & Co., Hong Kong.Unidentified man
Lovett, Charles A.
Taken by an unidentified photographer, Canton, China.Dabney, George
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Jackson, Charles
Taken by Warren, Cambridgeport.Wells, George
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Blank
Sturgis, Fred
Taken by Black & Batchelder, Boston.Hunnewell, Walter
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Joy, Charles
Taken by Warren, Cambridgeport.Dwight, Chapman
Taken by Whipple, Boston.Smith, George
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.McBurney, Jack
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.Perkins, Mrs.
Taken by Black & Batchelder, Boston.Unidentified man
Taken by J. W. Black, Boston.Nisbet, Lawrence
Taken by J. Gurney & Son, New York.Blank
Ruins of an unidentified building
Six men identified by last name as [Forbes], Salazar, Munroe, Schuyler, Dunlop, and Pierce
Unidentified man
Unidentified man
Taken by Aubert, Paris.Unidentified man
Taken by Moira & Haigh.Howard Church, 1870
Taken by Uyeno Hikoma, Nagasaki.Blank
Vol. 5: Carte de visite album
This album contains cartes de visite, chiefly unidentified. Identified subjects include W. P. Fay, Richard Fay, Jr., Wilder Dwight, L. D. Murray, T. Burkhardt, and Frederic d'Hauteville. MACT number JMF4.
Vol. 6: Rose Greene Smith Forbes photograph album
This photograph album belonged to Rose Forbes, James Murray Forbes's mother. It has a leather binding with the gilt monograph RGF on the cover. Included is an inscription inside the front cover that reads "Mrs. Forbes. With love of J & S. S. W. Christmas, 1868." The album contains many photographs of paintings, landscapes, and genre scenes, likely collected during her trip abroad in 1867. MACT number JMF5.
Forbes, J. Murray
Taken by Levitsky, Paris.Perkins, R. F. and R. B. Forbes as a child
Taken by Whipple, Boston.Unidentified infant
Taken by [Harraf] and Bro., Burlington, Iowa.Whipple, Carlotta and baby
Taken by Netterville Briggs, Leamington.Smith, Benno F.
Taken by Mayall, London.Lawrence, Nisbet
Taken by Allen, Boston.[Hobson, George G.]
Taken by Edward P. Hipple, Philadelphia.[Hobson, Sarah]
Taken by Edward P. Hipple, Philadelphia.Unidentified woman
Stackpole, Joseph Lewis
Taken by Kimberly Brothers, Fortress Monroe.[Whipple, Jeremiah]
Taken by Subercaze, Pau.Whipple, Carlotta Hobson
Taken by Sarony & Co., New York.Whipple, Carlotta [with] fancy dress, fan
Taken by Subercaze, Pau.Unidentified man with dog
Taken by Warren, Cambridgeport.Hobson, Sarah
Taken by Levitsky, Paris.Whipple, Miss
Taken by Roman Bendowski, Pau.Dog, pet of the Coolidge family
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Forbes, Robert Bennet with horse "Fiddle Head"
Taken by an unidentified photographer, Pau.Van Dyck, self portrait
Photograph of a painting.Raphael, self portrait
Photograph of a painting.Hand-colored genre photograph, peasant with pig
Taken by Roman Bendowski, Pau.Lee, Jno. C.
Taken by Metcalf & Welldon, Boston.Hand-colored genre photographs
Taken by Roman Bendowski, Pau.Aurora by Guido Reni
Photograph of a painting.Three children of Charles I by Anthony Van Dyck
Photograph of a painting.Chateau de Pau, pris de Jurancon
Pont de Betharram
L'Auberge a mer de Glacier Grindelwald
Unidentified church
Taken by Neurdein, Paris.Grand Hotel, Pau
Taken by Subercaze, Pau.Bonchurch Family Hotel
Taken by Jabez Hughes, Hyde, Isle of Wight.Lago di Lugano
Taken by C. Degoix, Genoa.Sibyl by Domenichino
Photograph of a painting.Painting of a woman by an unidentified artist
Unidentified building
Taken by C. Brion, Marseille.Unidentified building
Unidentified building
Triumphal arch to Louis Napoleon, Marseilles
Forbes, R. B. & Hunter (horse)
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Motley, Mr. & Wife
Taken by Whipple, Boston.Jackson, Dr.
Taken by unidentified photographer.Sumner, Charles
Taken by Silsbee, Case & Co., Boston.Unidentified woman
Taken by Whipple, Boston.Motley, John Lothrop
Taken by Silsbee, Case & Co., Boston.Cunningham, Mark
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Unidentified woman
Taken by Black & Batchelder, Boston.Unidentified building
Unidentified buildings [Marseille?]
Taken by C. Brion, Marseille.Etablissement et Lac de Quinconces, Luchon
Taken by Photographie Luchonnaise, Luchon.Residence de S.A. Le Prince Imperial
Taken by Photographie Luchonnaise, Luchon.Painting of an unidentified woman
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Photograph of unidentified painting
Unidentified castle
Castel-Vieil, Luchon
Taken by Photographie Luchonnaise, Luchon.Pont Napoleon, à Saint Sauveur
Unidentified building
Unidentified man with horse
Hand-colored.Unidentified mill on river
Aqueduct
Taken by C. Brion, Marseille.Unidentified cityscape
Unidentified buildings
[Forbes], William and horse
Taken by Collins.Perkins, R. T.
Tintype.[Forbes], Murray & horse
Taken by W. D. Floyd, Hong Kong.Two unidentified men
Tintype.Diederick, Kurt, July 1881
Jackson, James
Taken by Whipple, Boston.Unidentified child
Taken by Allen & Rowell, Boston.Forbes, Mary
Taken by Allen & Rowell, Boston.Perkins, Thomas Handasyd
Cabinet photograph.Perkins, James
Cabinet photograph.[Forbes], Murray
Taken by Notman, Boston.Cabinet photograph.Forbes, W. H.
Cabinet photograph.Blank
Worden, H. H.
Cabinet photograph.Brooks, Peter Chardon
Cabinet photograph.Blank
Holbrook, Amos
Cabinet photograph.Forbes, Robert Bennet
Taken by an unidentified photographer.Blank
Hunt, Enid
Taken by A. Marshall, Boston.Cabinet photograph.Russell, Ellen & Mary Russell
Cabinet photograph.Dumaresq, Philip.
Forbes, Alice Bowditch
Taken by LeJeune, Paris.Cabinet photograph.Blank
Four small engravings inserted in photograph slots.
Vol. 7: Cabinet card album
This partially-filled album contains cabinet cards; images are largely unidentified, although there are several photographs of James Murray Forbes. MACT number JMF6.
Vol. 8: Miscellaneous photograph album, 1902-1904
Volume 8 contains snapshots, clippings, postcards, and commercial photographs. Subjects include "The Birches," horses, boats, bullfighting, and Forbes family trips to California, Mexico, the Grand Canyon, and Islesboro, Maine. MACT number JMF7.
Vol. 9: Cartagena-Magdalena Railway photograph album, ca 1892
Volume 9 contains photographs of Colombia compiled by the Cartagena-Magdalena Railway Co. of which J. M. Forbes was a director. Photographs include street scenes, landscapes, railroad infrastructure and workers, and plantations. There is a list of photographs at the end of the volume. MACT number JMF8.
Vol. 10: Alice Bowditch Forbes carte de visite album
This album contains cartes de visite kept by Alice Bowditch Forbes. Most images are identified in pencil. MACT number CT1.
Upwards of five hundred photographic portraits of the most celebrated personages of the age [composite photograph]
Guild, Minnie
Bowditch, Ned
Esther [last name illegible]
Holmes, Fanny
Bowditch, Lucy
Caption: Lucy Stone.Bowditch, Charlotte
Bowditch, Henry
Bowditch, Lily with dog
Bowditch, Livy
Bowditch, Henry Ingersoll
Blank
Bowditch, Ebenezer Francis
Bowditch, Elizabeth F. Perry
Mason, Clara
Mason, Ida
Mason, Robert Means
Mason, Sarah Ellen
Winthrop, Robert C., Jr.
Winthrop, Elizabeth Mason
Mason, Ida, Aimee, and Clara
Mason, Ellen
Blank
Fay, Dudley B.
Blank
Bowditch, Nat
Parker, James
Parker, Charlie
Forbes, Alice Bowditch & Emily Crowninshield
Thorndike, Charles
Thuolt, Stephen
Codman, Sarah Fletcher Bradlee
Caption: Sallie Bradlee Mrs. Ogden Codman.Bradlee, [Josiah]
Bradlee, [Alice]
Hurlbut, Fanny
Frothingham, Loulie
Hurlbut, Louie
Forbes, Alice B. & Emily Crowninshield
[Snelling?], Howard
Bradlee, Alice & Sarah Bradlee
Dixwell, Annie
Putnam, Dr. "our clergyman"
Saltonstall, William
Townsend, Dr.
Parker, Charley
Saltonstall, William
"Chinese method of carrying babies"
Title from reverse. This photograph depicts an elderly Chinese woman carrying a baby on her back.
"Japanese beauties"
Title from reverse. This photograph depicts three Japanese women wearing kimonos.
"Chinese family"
Title from reverse. This photograph depicts parents and four children, seated.
Vol. 11: James Murray Forbes card photograph album
This album contains cartes de visite and cabinet photographs. In addition to Forbes family members, it includes photographs of Civil War naval and military figures. Most images are identified in ink. MACT number CT2.
Devon--hunter Thruway [horse], Pau, 1868/9
This hand-colored photograph depicts a horse and his groom.
Unidentified woman
Forbes, Paul
Forbes, James Murray
Forbes, De Courcey
Cunningham, Frank
Unidentified man
Story, F. W.
Curtis, Tho. B.
Davis, James
Bush, F. L.
Unidentified man
Cunningham, Edward
Quincy, Josiah
Jackson, Dr.
Unidentified baby
Motley, John Lothrop
Tuckerman, J. Francis
Lothrop, S. K.
Coolidge, Mary
Paul Revere's children
Lunt, William P.
Sears, David
Sears, David, Jr.
Upton, George B.
Hunt, Paul
Stewart, John, Pau
Pau hunt, 1867/8
Bradford, Robert Forbes
Long, John C.
Preble, George Henry
Ericsson, John
Green, John Foster
Emmons, George Foster
Breck, Joseph Berry
Smith, "Capt. US Str Alabama"
Farragut, David Glasgow
Worden, John
Spark, first Am. paddle wheel on Canton River, 1849--running 1870
Turret & Scorpion
Bradford, Caroline [Mrs. Robert Forbes Bradford] & Robert Forbes Bradford, Jr.
Rabaud, Edward
Marston, John
Kimball, J. C.
Unidentified man
Reed, W., Esq.
Tennant, Willy
Tennant, John & wife
Fischer, Max
Shippen, Edward
Lawrence, Nesbit
Dehon, Arthur
Grey, Thomas
Whitney, Addy
Brownson, Mrs. & daughter
Hunter Locomotive (horse), Pau
Andrew, John A.
Dumbarton, Denny
Forbes, Paul
Castle Newe, Strathdon
Beckwith, N. M.
Forbes, P. S.
Cunningham, Edward
Grew, Henry S.
Conant, William
Dinnie, Donald
Blank
Meade, George Gordon
Lee, Robert E.
Staunton, Mary
Blank
Perkins, Thomas Handasyd
Conte, Casimir
Photograph of a bust by Antoine Bontoux.Blank
Peirce, Henry Augustus
Bradford, Robert Forbes
Rogers, John, U.S.N.
Fox, Gustavus Vasa
Hunt, William Morris
Clark, Arthur H., S.S. Indiana
Forbes, Paul
Holmes, Oliver Wendell
Pollard, Edwin
Cary, George B.
Stevesant, Mrs.
Unidentified woman
Whitman, Mrs., [Farwell's] cousin of California
Channing, William Ellery
Prescott, William
Blythe, Hugh
Caption: Maggie Blythes son Hugh.Unidentified child
Blythe, Maggie
Cleveland, Father
Williams, Moses
Boyer, Charles
Low, A. A.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth
RBF's hunter bought of John Tennant & Michael the Groom, Pau, 1868/9
Vol. 12: Carte de visite album
Vol. 12 consists of mostly unidentified portraits. MACT number CT4.
Vol. 13: Carte de visite album
Vol. 13 consists mostly of unidentified portraits. Identified people include members of the Bowditch, Mason, Fay, and Forbes families, and two portraits of Wilder Dwight. MACT number CT5.
Vol. 14: Card photograph album
This album contains cartes de visite and cabinet photographs. Identified people include members of the Bowditch, Fay, and Forbes families. The also album includes several photographs of heifers owned by Ebenezer F. Bowditch. MACT number CT6.
Vol. 15: Carte de visite and tintype album
This album contains unidentified cartes de visite and cabinet photographs. Most photographs are recognizable as Forbes and Bowditch family members. This album also includes 4 tintypes of an unidentified group. MACT number CT12.
Vol. 16: Forbes family snapshot album, 1900s
Volume 16 comprises unidentified black-and-white snapshots and cyanotypes of the family of James Murray Forbes bicycling, playing polo, riding horses, and playing with pets. MACT number A1965.1.5.
II. European travel photographs
Vol. 17: England, Scotland, France
Vol. 17 is a mauchline ware photograph album from wood "Grown on the lands of Abbotsford" with illustrations of Abbotsford, Kelso Abbey, Melrose Abbey, Sir Walter Scott's tomb, and Edinburgh Castle. The album includes cartes de visite of sites in Scotland, England, Germany, and France. MACT number EU1.
Vol. 18: England and Scotland
This album contains commercially produced black-and-white photographs of tourist sites in England and Scotland. MACT number EU2.
Vol. 19: European travel photographs
This album contains commercially produced black-and-white photographs of tourist sites in England, France, Switzerland, and Italy. MACT number EU3.
Vol. 20: Pau hunt
This album contains snapshots taken during a Forbes family trip to Pau for hunting. The album also includes photographs taken at a bullfight. MACT number EU6.
Preferred Citation
James Murray Forbes photograph albums, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.