Bolster Collection
The George S. Bolster Collection
The Bolster Collection contains about 375,000 negatives from Saratoga Springs. Most of the approximately 60,000 negatives in the series that George Bolster called "Old Saratoga" were made between 1900 and 1960, primarily by Harry B. Settle. Other well-known photographers, such as Jesse S. Wooley, Gustave Lorey, Seneca Ray Stoddard, C.C. Cook, and H.C. Ashby are also represented in "Old Saratoga." George Bolster's lifetime work: wedding pictures, high school and college yearbook pictures, and photos of numerous local businesses from the 1930s through the 1980s makes up about three fourths of the collection. "Old Saratoga" includes pictures of residential, commercial, and religious buildings; interiors and exteriors of grand and small hotels; mineral springs, bottling plants, and drink halls; the race track; and people at work, study, and play. Aerial photographs from as early as 1929 document dramatic changes in the shape of the city over a 35-year period.
The George S. Bolster Collection is open to researchers Monday, Tuesday and Friday 10-3. Appointments are strongly recommended.
Enjoy this week's selection of images from the Bolater Collection. Images are property of the Saratoga Springs History Museum and may not be reproduced without written permission. You can purchase select images from this collection by calling (518) 584-6920.
The 77th New York Volunteer Monument at the entrance to Congress Park, Circa 1890.
Broadway Circa 1890 by Seneca Ray Stoddard
Man O' War in 1920 at Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Race Course Grand Stand in 1930
The Grand Union Hotel