Louis Edward Nollau Railroad Glass Negative Collection
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Louis Edward Nollau Railroad Glass Negative Collection
- Date
- circa 1909-1917
- Extent
- 10 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Railroads -- Southern States.
- Railroads -- United States
- Railroads -- Southern States -- Pictorial works.
- Railroad stations -- Southern States.
- Preferred Citation
- [Identification of item], Louis Edward Nollau Railroad Glass Negative Collection, ca. 1909-1917, 81PA101,Special Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Louis Edward Nollau was born in Quincy, Illinois, in 1883, and died in 1955. The son of Louis George and Lydia Mueller Nollau, little is known of his early life. He graduated from Manual Training High School, Louisville, in 1902 and in 1904 received a B.M.E. in Mechanical Engineering from the then State College of Kentucky, now the University of Kentucky. In 1908 he earned a M.E. in Engineering from the University. From 1904 to 1908 he served as an instructor and later assistant professor in the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Department, teaching Wood Shop and Engineering Drawing. In 1908, he was appointed a full professor of Engineering Drawing. Married in 1911 to Hazel Fenton, he served as Head of the Department from 1916 to 1939.
- Though his academic work was involved primarily with teaching mechanical engineering, Nollau deserves special mention for his work in photography. He took thousands of pictures-of State College, State University and the University of Kentucky. His print collection in the University Archives and Records Program, the Louis Edward Nollau F Series Photographic Print Collection, circa 1885-1966, greatly enrich knowledge of UK's past. This voluminous collection contains Nollau's pictures, taken over the several years he served as the official University photographer. The collection contains over 13,000 of Nollau's negatives, 6,000 of them on glass, and includes campus scenes, individuals and buildings that no longer exist, plus some famous county and city buildings. There is also a sequence of images that document the construction of High Bridge, housed in the Louis Edward Nollau High Bridge Photographic Collection, 1910-1911.
- Active as a speaker at many meetings of the Lexington Camera Club, he lectured on the history of photography, from the discovery of the action of light on silver compounds to the current state of the art. Retired in 1953, he was placed on Special Assignment a continued teaching until his death.
- Scope and Content
- The Louis Edward Nollau Railroad Glass Negative Collection, ca. 1909-1917 consists of 2963 4x5 commercial dry glass negatives. The collection is a through documentation of the Southern Railway system in the early years of the 20th century. Major areas of focus include: rolling stock, right of ways, the re-construction of High Bridge, inspection trips, railroad personnel, railroad stations, towers, water tanks, storerooms, and workshops.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- This collection is comprised of photographic prints created and maintained in the course of universtiy business. The University of Kentucky holds the copyright for materials created in the course of business by University of Kentucky employees. Copyright for all other materials has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky.