Frances Osborn Robb Collection

Collection

Identifier: MC-247

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, research materials, photographs related to the life and career of Frances Osborn Robb.

Dates

Creation: 1952 - 2020

Creator

Robb, Frances Osborn (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research in the Archives & Special Collections reading room. Handling guidelines and use restrictions will be communicated and enforced by archives staff members.

Conditions Governing Use

This material may be protected under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) which governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials. You may use the digitized material for private study, scholarship, or research. Though the University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special Collections has physical ownership of the material in its collections, in some cases we may not own the copyright to the material. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in our collections.

Biographical / Historical

Dr. Frances Osborn Robb was a renowned Alabama photography historian, responsible for numerous articles, exhibits, and books on the topic. Her most prominent work, Shot in Alabama: A History of Photography in a Deep South State, 1839-1941, was released in 2016 and to date is the single largest collection of Alabama photographers and their works, with over 30 years of research behind it. Her other works include articles and sections from the Alabama Review, notably “Two Men in Ku Klux Klan Disguises,” in which she traces the origins of a glass plate photo, as well as numerous magazine articles. Dr. Robb received a B.A. in English Literature from Birmingham-Southern College, an M.A. in English Literature from the University of North Carolina, an M.A. in Art History from Yale University, and her PhD in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin.

Sources:

https://www.thisisalabama.org/how-an-alabamian-shaped-the-history-of-photography/ https://www.alabamaheritage.com/authors/authors-r/frances-osborn-robb/

Extent

8.75 Linear feet (11 Boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Robb Family, 2024.

Processing Information

Collections are processed to a variety of levels, depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived research value, the availability of staff, and competing priorities. The library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections as they are acquired and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit.