The Archive

Alsup Smith Family Collection

Vanessa Alsup and her husband Kevin shot these sound films of their children Kevin II, Sheena Marie and Carla in and around their Englewood home. The collection also includes several concerts in Chicago. Super 8mm. Sound. 1970-1980. 17 films.

Frederick Atkins Collection

Frederick Atkins shot these films of his wife, Loretta, and children in the East Side neighborhood. The collection includes the opening of the Chicago (formerly Calumet) Skyway. 8mm, Super 8mm. 1950-1980. 48 films.

Burt Ramos Family Collection

This collection includes home movies shot primarily by Louise B. Burt. They depict scenes of everyday life in Chicago, Illinois as well as family visits to Momence, Illinois, St. Louis, Missouri, and Baldwin, Michigan. 8mm. 1958-1968. 3 films.

Alphonse and Nancie Teer Ellis Family Collection

Alphonse and Nancy Ellis shot these films in and around their Auburn Gresham home. The collection also includes a trip to Disneyland, Washington D.C. and visits to the family cottage in Lakeside, Michigan. Super 8mm. Silent. 1960-1970. 40 films.

Lynette Frazier Collection

Lynette Frazier shot these films of her life in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood of Chicago, as well as her many travels around the globe. The collection includes the aftermath of the MLK Riots, Resurrection City in Washington, DC and the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. 8mm. Silent. 1950-1960. 31 films.

Holland Family Collection

John Holland shot these films of his wife Margaret and their children Greg, Debbie, Doug and Karen in and around the East Side neighborhood. The collection includes graduations, holidays and Catholic ceremonies. 8mm, Super 8mm. 1950-1970. 47 films.

Levy-Gunansky Family Collection

Sam Levy and his daughter Harriet shot these films to document their family’s life in the Washington Park neighborhood and later the Jackson Park Highlands. It includes scenes from Englewood High School, several club picnics in Washington Park, and Harriet’s time as a student at University of Chicago (1948-1952). 8mm. Silent. 1938-1955. 15 films.

Sylvester Matthews Collection

Philip Maxwell Sr. Collection

Philip Maxwell shot these films of his family in their Londontown home. The collection also includes visits to the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Museum of Science and Industry. 8mm, Super 8mm. Silent. 1960-1970. 4 films.

Ellis McClelland Collection

Ellis McClelland shot these films featuring his wife and children in the Princeton Park neighborhood. Scenes include visits to many of Chicago’s Parks, Buckingham Fountain and Detroit to visit relatives. McClelland also shot footage of car races, baseball games and his North Side mechanic shop. 8mm. Silent. 1940-1950. 8 films.

Charles Merrifield Collection

Charles Merrifield was a postal worker who lived with his family in Princeton Park. His films show gatherings of extended family, as well as travels across the US with his wife and children. 8mm. Silent. 1950-1960. 6 films.

Dr. Helen Nash Collection

Dr. Helen Nash shot these scenes of family life in Atlanta, Georgia and St. Louis, Missouri, as well as trips to Chicago to visit relatives. Dr. Nash also traveled extensively with her sisters and mother, visiting Europe, China, Russia, and Africa in the late sixties and seventies. 16mm, Super 8mm. Silent. 1950-1970. 23 films.

Dr. George Reed Jr. Collection

The Reed Collection was shot by Dr. George Reed, a physicist at Argonne Laboratories. The collection consists of family scenes featuring Reed's wife, Selina, and children, Mark, Carole, Phillip, and Lauren. Films include scenes on Chicago’s lakefront, a YWCA camp in Forest Beach Michigan and the University of Chicago lab school. The Reeds lived in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on Calumet Avenue. 8mm. Silent. 1950-1960. 12 films.

Roberts Family Collection

This collection was shot primarily by Herman Roberts, his family and the staff of the Roberts Show Lounge. The films capture South Side nightlife from Englewood to Hyde Park, the Roberts Show Lounge in the '50s, rural Oklahoma, and Disneyland. 8mm, 16mm. Silent. 1950s. 34 films.

Gustina Steele Collection

Gustina Steele and her husband Bill Higgins, shot this footage of their children William Jr. and Ashauna in and around their Calumet Heights home. Super-8. Sound, silent. 1970-1980. 4 films.

James E. Taylor Collection

James Taylor and his father-in-law Prose Matthews shot and created these films of their family in and around their Harvey home. The collection includes several family picnics in Michigan City, a wedding, and their children’s birthdays. 8mm, Super 8mm. Silent. 1944-1978. 35 films.

Herman and Hazel Washington Collection

Hazel Washington shot these films of her husband Herman and their children Rachel and Zandra on a family trip to California. This collection features a trip to Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and a safari, as well as footage of their extended family’s home near South Central, LA. 16mm. Silent. 1971. 3 films.