Large format hand-made book, undyed leather parchment binding over stiff boards, colored ink manuscript calligraphy on cover, unpaginated [95 pages], 306 large and medium format professional black and white photographs mounted on laid paper with deckled edges, each photo titled in manuscript, 3-page typed itinerary bound in at end of book, one small landscape oil painting "Taormina" bound in, 2-page color map with itinerary hand drawn on map. Tucked in with the Album are a separate set of 7 small format B&W photographs of the architecture designed the Higgins home, newly completed, Worcester, Massachusetts, and one engraved calling card of Mr. and Mrs. Aldus Chapin Higgins 1 John Wing Road [Worcester, Massachusetts].
Description:
There are two works of art in this description: the hand made parchment bound, decorated book that became the Higgins European and North Africa Tour photograph album; and the large archive of photography itself. The presumed photographer of all but one photograph is Aldus Higgins, a highly skilled and published "amateur" photographer.1/ The large format, black and white photographs are likely gelatin silver prints. The large format camera and related equipment could have been handled during the tour by Higgins himself or by the touring party's staff, several of whom appear in photographs. Aldus Higgins belonged to a Worcester, Massachusetts family 2/ that owned and operated the Norton Company, a leader in 20th c. industrial abrasives and grinding wheels. Another branch engaged in steel manufacture and related business. The Higgins family is long recognized for its charitable work. An architectural landmark in Worcester created by Aldus' brother John Woodman Higgins, who owned Worcester Pressed Steel Company, is the distinctive steel art museum built to house the Higgins Armory collection whose antique armor and other metalwork may now be found in part at the Worcester Art Museum. By the 1923 date of this Album, the Norton Company was essential to America's growing car industry.
Turning the pages of the Higgins Tour album reveals an architectural study of antique North African and European landscape and architecture. Many of the photographs are detail shots of window patterns, and entry ways, roof design, building profiles and how a building is sited in the landscape. The photographs from this 1923 tour help explain the design decisions of the Aldus C. and Mary S. Higgins Tudor Revival style Worcester home that was completed shortly after this trip. The Higgins home is a National Registered Historic Landmark that Mrs. Higgins occupied until her death in 1971 when it was willed to Worcester Polytech Institute. WPI now uses it for the alumni house. Aldus Higgins is an alumnus of WPI.3/ A small envelope of photographs was tucked into the back of the album and these show the house completed. Stylistically they resemble the album photographs. Higgins architect Grosvenor Atterbury's archive is at Cornell University. 4/
One of the Higgins Album's unusual if not startling photographs in its subject matter is a group portrait of a gathering at the American Consul to Rome's house to honor Benito Mussolini. The subtitle to that photograph says "ACH guarding the back door" and we see what is likely the only photograph of the Album's author and artist, Aldus C. Higgins. Also on that page of the Higgins Album is a portrait photograph of Mussolini that appears to have been taken by Mussolini's official photographer. Prime Minister Mussolini's National Fascist Party was in control of Italy by 1922. The social entrée enjoyed by Aldus Higgins and his traveling party made possible this visit to the American Consul in Rome who was hosting Prime Minister Mussolini. What business might have transpired among the high level guests is not known.
The Album's photographs are all annotated in the same elegant hand as the title page of the Album. These notes include remarks about typical tourist interests and concerns, hotels, restaurant service and food, theatre and other cultural events. Some photographs show family oriented visits to American friends living abroad, and informal portraits of these close friends at home with their young children. The affection expressed in the notes suggest these are long personal relationships among the adults and even the children. The individuals are captured often in candid poses. The Album was made for personal use, and therefore some of the subject matter, celebrations, picnics, the travelers' preparations of packing up and heading out are all there. The notes at the back of the album, that further explain activity such as dining and theatre, or local events are also personal with Aldus and Mary not always agreeing on what they enjoyed or didn't!
The Higgins Album stands apart from typical American 19th c. and early 20th c. "grand tour" albums because of the artistry of the photography, the archive's geographic scope, the personal and the political entrée of the travelers to a changing Europe, i.e. post WWI Italy and emerging Fascism. Aldus Higgins' photographer's eye for North African and European landscape and architecture render the handmade book's contents a separate work of visual art. The Higgins Album as a handmade book is an early 20th c. work of art with reference to centuries earlier techniques for book and paper making. Aldus Higgins' enveloping photography of over 300 photographs throughout the 95-page Album is as an aesthetic endeavor on this journey that expresses his curiosity about local culture and the joys of travel and exploring with friends. As much as these photographs were a personal reminder for the Higgins' of travels with friends, the Album today is an immersive aesthetic and visual experience to the contemporary viewer.
Notes:
1. Worcester Historical Society, Higgins Family Collection
2. The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Vol. 89, includes an article and photographs taken by Aldus Higgins when he was in England. His preoccupation is with architecture and landscape. The style and subject matter of these published photographs strongly resembles the photograph style and subject matter of the Higgins 1923 Album. The architectural design of the Higgins home in Worcester at 1 John Wing Way, sited on what is now the WPI campus and accessible to the public, and which I visited, reflectrs the antique stone and brick architecture in North Africa and Europe that Higgins made the centerpiece of his 1923 travel album photographs.
3. Papers of Aldus C. Higgins | Worcester Polytechnic Institute ArchivesSpace
4. Aldus C. Higgins House - Exterior: Images from the Rare Book and Manuscript Collections
Large format hand-made book, unpaginated [95 pages], colored ink manuscript calligraphy on cover, bound in leather parchment over stiff boards, 306 large and medium format professional black and white photographs mounted on laid paper with deckled edges, each photo titled in manuscript, 3-page typed itinerary bound in at end of book, one small landscape oil painting "Taormina" bound in, 2-page color map with itinerary hand drawn on map, separate set of 7 small format B&W photographs of the architecture of the Higgins home, newly completed, Worcester, Massachusetts, and one engraved calling card of Mr. and Mrs. Aldus Chapin Higgins 1 John Wing Road [Worcester, Massachusetts].
Description of Album:
There are two works of art when referring to the Higgins Album: the hand made parchment bound, decorated book that became the Higgins European and North Africa Tour photograph album; and the large archive of photography itself. The presumed photographer of all but one photograph in the Higgins Album is Aldus Higgins, a highly skilled and published "amateur" photographer.1/ The large format, black and white photographs are either gelatin silver prints, or perhaps platinum prints. The large format camera and related equipment required to take these photographs during the international trip might have been transported during the trip by Higgins' staff. A chauffeur and other Higgins staff appear in album photographs often with the car and its load of suitcases and other luggage. American Aldus Higgins belonged to a Worcester, Massachusetts family 2/ accomplished in industrial steel manufacture and other business, and long recognized for its charitable work in Worcester and beyond. A long time architectural landmark in Worcester created in 1931 by Aldus' brother John Woodman Higgins, who owned Worcester Pressed Steel Company, was the tall steel art museum building housing the Higgins Armory collection whose antique armor and other metalwork was removed from that building in 2013 when the museum tragically closed. Part of the collection may now be found at the Worcester Art Museum.
Turning the pages of the Higgins Album reveals an architectural study of antique North African and European landscape and architecture framed in the photographer's lens to create architectural and landscape portraits. Many of the photographs are detail shots of window patterns, and entry ways, roof design, building profiles and how a building is sited in the landscape. The photographs from this 1923 tour help explain the design decisions of the Aldus C. and Mary S. Higgins Tudor Revival style Worcester home, completed shortly after this trip. The Higgins home is a National Registered Historic Landmark that Mrs. Higgins occupied until her death in 1971 when it was willed to Worcester Polytech Institute. WPI now uses it for the alumni house. Aldus Higgins is an alumnus of WPI.3/ A small envelope of photographs was tucked into the back of the album and these show the house completed. Stylistically they resemble the album photographs. The Higgins home architect is Grosvenor Atterbury whose archive is at Cornell University. 4/
One of the Higgins Album's unusual if not startling photographs in its subject matter is a group portrait of the gathering at the American Consul to Rome's house to honor Benito Mussolini. Also on that page of the Higgins Album is a photograph portrait of Mussolini that appears to have been taken by Mussolini's official photographer. Prime Minister Mussolini's National Fascist Party was in control of Italy by 1922. The social entrée enjoyed by Aldus Higgins and his traveling party that made possible this visit to the American Consul was certainly an invitation for a social event. Whether other business transpired is not known.
The album photographs are all annotated in manuscript by the same elegant hand that wrote the title page of the Higgins Album. These notes include remarks about typical tourist interests and concerns, hotels, restaurant service and food, theatre and other cultural events. There are family oriented visits to Americans, and portraits of these close friends. The affection expressed in the notes suggest these are long personal relationships among the adults and even the children. The individuals are captured often in candid poses. The album was made for personal use, and therefore some of the subject matter, celebrations, picnics, the preparations a traveler will recognize of packing up and heading out are all there. The notes at the back of the album, that further explain activity such as dining and theatre, or local events are also personal.
The Higgins Album stands apart from typical American 19th c. and early 20th c. "grand tour" albums because of the artistry of the photography, the photo archive's geographic scope, the historic timing and political entree of the travelers through a changing Europe, especially to Italy during the rise of Fascism. This is a photographer's album with a photographer's eye for architecture in its landscape and for architectural history. The Higgins Album is also a unique hand made book, itself an early 20th c. work of art with a historic reference to book making. Aldus Higgins' black and white landscapes, personal and architectural portraits and local cultural scenes in the archive of over 300 photographs guide the reader through the 95-page Album as a member of the travelers' entourage. This photo narrative is an aesthetic endeavor by the photographer as a participant in the journey and is his diary, a work that expresses his curiosity about local culture and the joys of travel and exploring with friends.
Notes:
1. Worcester Historical Society, Higgins Family Collection
2. The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, Vol. 89, includes an article and photographs taken by Aldus Higgins when he was in England. His preoccupation is with architecture and landscape. The style and subject matter of these published photographs strongly resembles the photograph style and subject matter of this 1923 Album. The ultimate architectural design of the Higgins home in Worcester at 1 John Wing Way, now a part of the WPI campus and accessible to the public, and which I visited, was influenced by the antique stone and brick architecture in North Africa and Europe that Higgins made the centerpiece of his travel album photography.
3. Papers of Aldus C. Higgins | Worcester Polytechnic Institute ArchivesSpace
4. Aldus C. Higgins House - Exterior: Images from the Rare Book and Manuscript Collections