Harry Chick collection of railroad photographs and ephemera

The Harry Chick Collection of railroad photographs and ephemera contains 4700 photographs, 7300 postcards and 582 stereographs views of locomotives, railroad scenery, stations and depots. Even the non-railroad images within the collection reflect an interest in travel and tourism, with an emphasis on ships and vehicles of all kinds, as well as historic and landmark buildings. The majority of images, however, reinforce his close relationship with railroads, reflecting his employment with the Boston and Maine Railroad, as well as his collecting habits, which included buying and trading for images of locomotives and railroads, as well as collecting magazines and other publications related to railroading. While the majority of images are of American and Canadian railroads, particularly railroads in New England, the collection also includes materials and images from all over the world, including time tables and souvenir photographs from India and Japan.

While the forefront of the collection are the images, the supporting material in the collection also reflects Harry Chick's relationships with railroading, including his employment with Boston and Maine, communication with other enthusiasts, his magazine collection, and membership with the Railroad Enthusiasts and the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society. His own notes and ledgers often describe trains and locomotives in detail, and include meticulous records of his collections, as well as hasty notes on the back of Boston and Maine shipping receipts, which record the details of locomotives later entered alongside photographs in one of the 22 albums within the collection. Chick also kept materials on railroad tours and excursions, particularly those sponsored by the Railroad Enthusiasts society, as well as the 1939 and 1940 World's Fair, particularly their railroad exhibits.