Everything is just fine and candy this week as we hop along to the Easter holiday. The two peeps in a pod joining us for an Easter egg hunt in this ca. 1932 photograph are Junius and Paulina Dean, the children of Junius Simpson Dean (1896-1978) and Paulina du Pont Dean (1903-1964).
Paulina was the niece of Pierre Samuel "P.S." du Pont (1870-1954), who assembled the P.S. du Pont photographs (Accession 1969.002) collection that contains this item. This large collection of over 6,000 items documents P.S. du Pont's many interests as well as the many members of the du Pont family.
The series containing this photograph is the 'Individuals and families' series, which includes photographs and glass negatives featuring P.S. du Pont, his family and extended family, as well as friends and associates.
The images are mostly individual portraits, group portraits, and snapshots of families. Most of the photographs are original and there are a few original engravings, however, there are also many photographic reproductions of engravings, paintings, and drawings.
There are also glass and film negatives taken by P.S. du Pont himself. Many of these are from his youth; for example, the 65 negatives taken at Phillips Academy where his brother was a student. There are albums of cartes de visite of which many of the subjects are identified and also an album once in the possession of Henry Algernon du Pont containing Civil War-era military officers (predominantly physicians) and military scenes. There is a two-volume set of du Pont de Nemours family portraits that was printed for the 100 anniversary of the family and an album of the 150th family reunion in 1950.
To view this collection online now in Hagley Library's Digital Archives, just click here.