The Photo Collection
The photo collection contains more than 1000 images beginning from the mid 1870's. Selections are organized by decade. Sources of photographs include a photo album containing 40 cabinet cards of Aggie cadets originally owned by Wilkes Knolle, class of 1888, 100+ negatives from the General Otto Weyland estate showing campus life in the early 1920's, an archive acquired from the Sam Sanders estate with numerous sports and campus images from the 1920's, and a wide selection of images acquired from the family of Joe Sosolik who owned and operated Sosolik's Studio, the College Studio and later Aggieland Studios from the late 1910's through the 1950's.
Notable Photographs
The 1878-79 composite includes photographs depicting early campus faculty, administrators and President Thomas Gathright who served in that role from the founding of the college in 1876 through his death in 1880. This composite was reproduced and provided to various commercial outlets around the state essentially to advertise the college in hopes of drawing interest from prospective students. Of note, the image of the Old Main building is likely one of the earliest known given the total lack of foliage on the surrounding grounds. This image is stamped by the Bryan photographer Thomas Bolton who was active in the area from 1878 to 1879.
The collection contains numerous cabinet cards of identified cadets enrolled at A&M College in its first 15 years of operation including 2 that feature cadets enrolled in the 1870's. Those two cabinet cards possibly feature A&M’s very first graduation class, W. A. Trenckmann from Belleville and R. A. Rogers from Galveston. Each graduated in 1878. This was at a time when course work necessary for graduation did not always require 4 years. I used several sources to attempt to identify each cadet. To start, using references from the Sam Sanders Corp of Cadets museum, I was able to determine that the uniforms each wears was only in use until 1880. In the case of cadet Trenckmann, the preliminary identification was done by comparing later photos of him that can be found online to the one in the collection. The striking resemblance along with the Thomas Bolton photographer stamp (who, as noted, only operated in Bryan from 1878 to 1879) gives a fairly strong probability that he is the person depicted. For R. A. Rogers, the identification is far more circumstantial. The “Blessing and Bro” photographer stamp and address in Galveston provide a few clues. Blessing operated in many locations, but was only at 174 Tremont St, between 1870 and 1878. Further, according to records I have sourced from the Association of Former Students website and a 1900-01 catalogue of Former Students that is part of the collection, I believe there was only one student at A&M College in the first couple of years of operation who hailed from Galveston - R. A. Rogers. Otherwise, I have been unable to find any photos online of R. A. Rogers to enable a direct comparison. Certainly not an airtight identification, but a decent possibility that this is him.
There are many images from the turn of the century such as shots of campus buildings, athletic teams and day to day activities. Group photos include the A&M football team pictures of 1898, 1900 and 1901.
The unusual 3 photo set from the 1915 football game at College Station between Texas and A&M shows game action as well as halftime activities. One of the images appears in the 1915 A&M yearbook. All of these photos provide a unique view of the action on the field in this historic contest.
When word of the armistice signing in 1919 between the allies and the Germans reached A&M College, cadets gathered to march to Bryan and parade through the streets. Three images in the collection capture the march down the dirt road to downtown Bryan and subsequent celebration.
The collection contains several photos from the 1939 championship season including unique game action shots from the home battle with Centenary in the regular season as well as the Sugar Bowl victory over Tulane.
Several images of the mutt that would become Reveille I are on display, and her 1944 funeral and burial at the center of Kyle Field is also documented.
Panoramic Photos
In the first 3 decades of the 1900's taking panoramic photos was all the rage. These images would typically depict large groups of cadets, classes, campus or football games. The collection contains several panoramics of campus life and football games including the tilts with Texas in 1908, 1915, 1916, 1924 and 1928.