YOU ARE HERE: Special Collections & Archives > Photographic Collections > Lane Brothers Photographic Collection

Lane Brothers Commercial Photographers Photographic Collection, 1920-1976
Atlanta, Georgia Commercial Photographers

Collection Description | About the Web Pages | Duplication Services | E-Mail
Search by Keyword | Browse in Alphabetical Order within each Series

Collection Description Record in Online Catalog

The Lane Brothers Commercial Photographers Photographic Collection consists of about 258,100 (196,800 4x5 inch and 61,300 2 1/2 inch) acetate negatives which are housed in 43,486 envelopes.  The collection spans the years 1920 to 1976 with the bulk of the negatives dating from 1939 to 1975.  Some of the images are copy negatives of photographs which date as early as 1864.  The envelopes are organized into six series (1) Corporate bodies, (2) Geographic places, (3) Events, (4) Portraits, (5) Things, and (6) Miscellaneous-sized negatives.

The collection consists of photographic negatives and prints of the Lane Brothers Commercial Photographers (Atlanta, Ga.) and its predecessor the Lane Brothers Photo News Service from ca. 1920-1976. Early materials (1920's-1939) include glass plate negatives and photographs taken by Jack Lane and his brother W.C. Lane as freelance photographers for the Atlanta News, other newspapers, and wire services. The bulk of the collection consists of images of the Atlanta, Georgia area documenting its economic growth, social changes, and political activities over the years. The collection contains images of AT&T, Atlanta Gas Light Company, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Eastern Air Lines, Rich's, Shriners Yaarab Temple, and the Southeastern Fair while other images illustrate the development of Atlanta's transportation system. During World War II, the studio produced photographic documentation of the Works Progress Administration, the Office of Price Administration, the Office of Civilian Defense, and the United Service Organization.  The collection depicts Atlanta's social and political changes with images of preparation for World War II, African Americans registering to vote, Ku Klux Klan rallies at Stone Mountain, political campaigns, sports events, labor union activities, motion picture premiers (including "Gone with the Wind"), disasters, and individual portraits. Notable public figures include Ivan Allen, Ellis Arnall, William B. Hartsfield, Roy LeCraw, Lester Maddox, Margaret Mitchell, Franklin D. Roosevelt, E.D. Rivers, Carl Sanders, Eugene Talmadge, and Robert W. Woodruff.

Corporate Bodies Series Record in Online Catalog

The Corporate Bodies Series consists of about 117,600 acetate negatives which are housed in 16,182 envelopes.  They span the years 1933 to 1974 with the bulk of the negatives dating from 1939 to 1968.  The types of organizations represented include: charitable, commercial, educational, fraternal, labor unions, military, political public affairs, public service, student, and youth. They also contain some images of organization events and facilities.  The predominant organizations are: Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, Aetna Casualty and Surety Company, Aidmore Hospital, Allstate Insurance Company, American Cancer Society, American Oil Company, American Red Cross, American Telephone and Telegraph Company, Atlanta Athletic Club, Atlanta Community Chest, Atlanta Federal Savings and Loan Association, Atlanta Gas Light Company, Atlanta Merchandise Mart, Atlanta Newspapers Incorporated, Atlanta Sales Executive Club, Atlanta Tuberculosis Association, Beers Construction Company, Callaway Mills, Citizens and Southern Bank, Cerebral Palsy School, City of Atlanta, Coca-Cola Company, Colonial Stores, Communications Workers of America, Davison-Paxon Company, Dixie Crystals Sugar, Eastern Air Lines, Elks Club, Emory University, Fairchild's Publishing Company, First Federal Savings and Loan Association, Ford Motor Company, General Electric Company, General Motors Acceptance Corporation, General Motors Corporation, George Muse Clothing Company, Georgia Heart Association, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Motor Club, Georgia Power Company, Georgia State Board of Education, Georgia State National Guard, Georgia Theatre Owners and Operators, Greyhound Bus Lines, Haverty's Furniture Company, Journal of Labor, J.P. Allen Company, Junior Achievement of Atlanta, Kiwanis Club, Kraft Foods Company, Kroger Grocery and Baking Company, Life of Georgia Insurance Company, Loew's Grand Theatre, March of Dimes, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Motion Picture Theatre Owners and Operators of Georgia, National Conference of Christians and Jews, National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, Orkin Exterminating Company, Packard Motor Company, Paramount Pictures Incorporated, Rich's Incorporated, R.K.O. Pictures, Salvation Army, Scripto Incorporated, Seaboard Airline Railway Company, Sears, Roebuck and Company, Shell Oil Company, Southeastern Fair Association, Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company, Southern Federal Savings and Loan Association, Standard Oil Company, Saint Joseph's Hospital, Stone Mountain Grit Company, Studebaker Corporation, Swift and Company, Trust Company of Georgia, 20th Century Fox, United Service Organization, Universal Films, University of Georgia, Variety Club, WAGA Television, WBGE Radio, Western Electric Company, WGST Radio, Women of Motion Picture Industry, WSB Radio and Television, Yaarab Basharat Temple Shriners, Young Men's Christian Association and Young Women's Christian Association.

Geographic Places Series Record in Online Catalog

The Geographic Places series consists of about 19,720 acetate negatives which are housed in 3,957 envelopes.  They span the years 1937 to 1972 with the bulk of the negatives dating from 1941 to 1964.  The series is organized into four subseries:  Facilities, Named streets, Places outside Atlanta, and Places outside of Georgia.

The images consist primarily of buildings and other facilities in the Atlanta area. The facilities represented include: buildings (historic buildings and office buildings), commercial (business districts, eating and drinking, financial, mercantile, service industry), communications, cultural (auditoriums, libraries, and theaters), educational (schools, universities, and colleges), exhibition (museums and zoos), government (capitol building, city halls, courthouses, fire stations, police stations, and post offices), health care (clinics and hospitals), hydraulic (dams, fountains, sewers, and waterworks), industrial (factories, power plants, and workshops), military, monuments and memorials, organizations' facilities (clubhouses, fraternal lodges), parks, public accomodations (hotels and motels), religious (monasteries, churches, synagogues, temples), residential (dwellings), storage (water tanks, warehouses), transportation (airports, automobile service stations, bridges, garages, parking lots, railroad facilities, roads, streets).

The Facilities subseries is divided into the following categories: Named buildings, Churches, Theaters, Government and other public buildings (including monuments), Universities and colleges, Apartments and housing facilities, Hotels and motels, Aerial views and skylines, Copy negatives (of early photographs), and Miscellaneous places. The envelopes are arranged in alphabetical order within each category. Some subjects are: Atlanta Airport, Atlanta City Hall, Atlanta Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta Constitution Building, Atlanta University, Biltmore Hotel, Candler Building, Dinkler Plaza Hotel, East Lake Country Club, Emory University, Farmer's Market, Five Points, Flatiron Building, Ft. McPherson, Fox Theater, Georgia Tech, Grady Hospital, Grant Park Zoo, Healey Building, Henry Grady Hotel, Hurt Building, Hurt Park, Kimball House, Loew's Grand Theater, Muse's Building, Paramount Theater, Peachtree Arcade, Rhodes Hall, Rich's Building, Terminal Station, The Varsity, and The Wren's Nest.

The Named streets subseries is arranged in alphabetical order by street name. Included are streets in the downtown business district, and roads in many newly established suburban areas. Images consist primarily of residences and businesses at particular street addresses.

The Places outside Atlanta subseries is arranged in alphabetical order by city and county.  Notable places include: Austell, Chamblee, Cobb County, College Park, Conley, Dalton, Decatur, East Point, Gainesville, Hapeville, Lithonia, Loganville, Marietta, Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain, and Warm Springs.

The Places outside of Georgia subseries is arranged in alphabetical order by state, and in alphabetical order by city or facility within each state.  Notable places include: Auburn University, Alabama; Birmingham, Alabama; Tallassee Mills, Alabama; Orlando, Florida; and Clemson University, South Carolina.

Events Series Record in Online Catalog

The Events series consists of about 25,400 acetate negatives which are housed in 1,817 envelopes.  They span the years 1935 to 1972 with the bulk of the negatives dating from 1939 to 1964.  The series is organized into five subseries: Corporate events, Events by person, Movie premieres, Disasters, and Miscellaneous events.  Subject areas represented include: accidents, air shows, anniversaries, banquets, celebrations, contests, document signings, eating and drinking, entertaining (parties and receptions), exhibitions (animal shows, art exhibits, fashion shows), fairs, festivals, holidays, meetings (judicial proceedings, political conventions, religious meetings), parades and processions, premieres, public speaking, rites and ceremonies (dedications, funerals, graduations, inaugurations, oaths, religious services, weddings), sports, strikes, and war (scrap drives).

The Corporate events subseries is arranged alphabetically by organization name. Notable organizations include: American Cancer Society, American Federation of Labor, American Red Cross, Atlanta Athletic Club, Atlanta Community Chest, Baptist World Alliance, Boy Scouts of America, Citizens and Southern National Bank, Coca-Cola Company, Davison-Paxon Company, Eastern Air Lines, Fox Theatre, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Power Company, Haverty's Furniture Company, Journal of Labor, Kraft Foods Company, Ku Klux Klan, Loew's Grand Theatre, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, National Conference of Christians and Jews, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Sears, Roebuck and Company, Southeastern Fair Association, Southern Railway, Trust Company of Georgia, United Service Organizations, University of Georgia, WSB Radio and Television, Young Men's Christian Association, and Young Women's Christian Association.

The Events by person subseries is arranged alphabetically by the person's name. The images consist primarily of public appearances by entertainers, politicians, and athletes, including: Ellis Arnall, Jimmy Carmichael, Ty Cobb, Jack Dempsey, Cecil B. DeMille, Leo Frank, Eva Gabor, Marvin Griffin, Barry Goldwater, Bob Hope, Sammy Kaye, Kay Kyser, Tom Linder, Clayton Moore, Fred MacMurray, Richard M. Nixon, Fess Parker, Eddie Rickenbacker, E.D. Rivers, Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Roy Rogers, Carl Sanders, and Eugene Talmadge.

The Movie premieres subseries is arranged alphabetically by motion picture name, and includes: Annie get your gun, Gone with the wind, The King and I, Quo vadis, Song of the South, and Who killed Aunt Maggie? Theaters hosting these premieres include: Loew's Grand Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Fox Theatre, and the Rialto Theatre.

The Disasters subseries is arranged alphabetically by subject. These images, taken primarily for photojournalism or insurance purposes, include fires, storms, and automobile accidents.

The Miscellaneous events subseries is arranged alphabetically by subject. Notable functions include: Armistice Day parades, circuses, Civil War Centennial, dedication of Buford Dam, Labor Day parades, Miss Atlanta pageants, the Push Ball at Emory University, voter registration for African-Americans, "Willie B. for Congress", and war bond drives. 

Portraits Series Record in Online Catalog

The portraits series consists of about 26,400 acetate negatives which are housed in 12,197 envelopes.  They span the years 1925 to 1974 with the bulk of the negatives dating from 1939 to 1971.  The series is organized alphabetically by the subject's last name.  The images consist primarily of portrait photographs for company directories, passports, and insurance claims. Also included are candid shots, weddings, sports teams, and organizations. The images include babies, children, couples and families. Images consist of individual and group portraits, including head shots, medium close-ups, and full-length shots. In some cases, notable public figures are included in this category rather than in the Events series because the event is not identifiable. Some prominent subjects include: Ivan Allen, Sr., Ivan Allen, Jr., Ellis Arnall, Tallulah Bankhead, Cotton Carrier, Cecil B. DeMille, Bobby Dodd, Henry Grady, Marvin Griffin, William B. Hartsfield, Bob Hope, Bobby Jones, Roy LeCraw, Margaret Mitchell, Ralph McGill, Eddie Rickenbacker, E.D. Rivers, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, Eugene (Gene) Talmadge, Herman Talmadge, M.E. Thompson, Ernest Vandiver, and Robert W. Woodruff. 

Miscellaneous Series Record in Online Catalog

About the Web Pages

The Web pages consist of the entire inventories of  the Corporate Bodies Series, Geographic Places Series, Events Series, Portraits Series, and the Things Series which total 39,060 envelopes and have links to over 9,825 selected scanned images.  (The Corporate Bodies Series contains 16,182 envelopes and has links to over 3,168 images, the Geographic Places Series contains 3,957 envelopes with links to over 3,973 images, the Events Series contains 1,799 envelopes with links to over 1,762 images, the Portraits Series contains 12,197 envelopes with links to over 585 images, and the Things Series contains 4,915 envelopes with links to over 337 images.)

The organization of the Web pages follows the physical arrangement of the collection.  There is one Web page for each box of negative envelopes.  The Corporate Bodies Series contains 126 boxes, the Geographic Places Series contains 27 boxes, the Events Series contains 35 boxes,  the Portraits Series contains 52 boxes, and the Things Series contains 31 boxes.  The envelopes are arranged alphabetically within each series.  The Geographic Places Series and Events Series are divided into several sub-series.  Inventories and scanned images from other series will be added incrementally.

The scanned images are of the negatives which were determined to be of high archival value that were in the most immediate need of preservation (those negatives dating prior to 1957).  These scans are reference copies of the negatives placed into cold storage.  These negatives were selected according to guidelines established by an advisory committee.  Some additional scans have been added to the inventory as a result of duplication requests from researchers.

Search the Lane Brothers Photographic Collection (Corporate Bodies, Geographic Places, Events, Portraits, Things, and Miscellaneous Series only) by Keyword
(This search will display a list of links to inventories containing your keyword.  After clicking on one of these links, use your browser's find function to again search for your keyword).

Browse the Corporate Bodies Series,  Geographic Places Series, Events Series, Portraits Series, Things Series, or Miscellaneous Series.

Browse Corporate Bodies Series in alphabetical order

= contains selected scanned images

AAA to Aetna Box 1	Aetna to Aidemore Box 2	Air to Allstate Box 3	Allstate to American C Box 4	American I to American R Box 5	American R to American T Box 6
American T to Arkansas Box 7	Armour to Atlanta A Box 8	Atlanta B to Atlanta C Box 9	Atlanta C to Atlanta C Box 10	Atlanta C to Atlanta H Box 11	Atlanta H to Atlanta N Box 12
Atlanta N to Atlanta N Box 13	Atlanta N to Atlanta N Box 14	Atlanta S to Atlanta W Box 15	Atlanta W to Azrock Box 16	Babe to B. Smith Box 17	Bill to Buckhead Box 18
Buda to B.W Box 19	Cabin to C&S Box 20	C&S to C&S Box 21	C&S to Central Box 22	Central to Charles Box 23	Charles to Citation Box 24
Citizen to Coats Box 25	Coca to Coca Box 26	Coca to Coca Box 27	Coca to Colonial Box 28	Colonial to Colonial Box 29	Colonial to Continental Box 30
Continental to Cystic Box 31	Dairy to Davison Box 32	Davison to Davison Box 33	Davison to Davison Box 34	Davison to Davison Box 35	Davison to Davison Box 36
Davison to Davison Box 37	Davison to Davison Box 38	Davison to DeKalb Box 39	DeKalb to Dixie Box 40	Dixie to Don Box 41	E.A to Eastern Box 42
Eastern to Eastern Box 43	Eastern to Eastern Box 44	Eastern to Emory Box 45	Emory to E.Z Box 46	Factory to Fairchild's Box 47	Fairchild's to Fairchild's Box 48
Fairchild's to Field Box 49	Fields to First Box 50	First to First Box 51	First to Fort Box 52	Fostaria to Fulton Box 53	Fulton to Fulton Box 54
Fulton to General Box 55	G.M.A.C to Georgia Box 56	Georgia B to Georgia D Box 57	Georgia H to Georgia I Box 58	Georgia I to Georgia L Box 59	GMA to Georgia P Box 60
Georgia P to Georgia P Box 61	Georgia P to Georgia P Box 62	Georgia Pr to Georgia S Box 63	Georgia S to Georgian Box 64	G.K to Gunther Box 65	Haas to Harvey Box 66
Haviland to Herald Box 67	Hodges to H.W. Box 68	I to I.W. Box 69	J.A. to Journal Box 70	Journal to Journal Box 71	Kaiser to Kelly Box 72
Kirkland to Kraft Box 73	Kraft to Krystal Box 74	Labor to Life Box 75	Life to Liller Box 76	Liller to Liller Box 77	MacDougald to Mass Box 78
Massachusetts to Metal Box 79	Metropolitan to MGM Box 80	MGM to Motorola Box 81	Motion to Myers Box 82	National C to National C Box 83	National C to National F Box 84
National L to Noland Box 85	Oakite to Oxford Box 86	Pabst to Paramount Box 87	Paramount to Phoenix Box 88	Piano to Poolquip Box 89	Poolquip to& Printing Box 90
Radio to R.H. Box 91	Rich's to Roberson Box 92	Robert to Ruton Box 93	Sabin to Scott Box 94	Scottish to Seaboard Box 95	Seaboard to Shell Box 96
Shell to Shell Box 97	Sheppard to Southeast Box 98	Southeast to Southern Box 99	Southern B to Southern R Box 100	Southern R to Springfield Box 101	Standard to State Box 102
State to Stone Box 103	Stone to Sylvania Box 104	Talc to Thomas Box 105	Thomas to Trans Box 106	Trust to Trust Box 107	Trust to Trust Box 108
Tucker to Tucker Box 109	Tulip to Twentieth Box 110	Underwood to United Box 111	United S to Upjohn Box 112	Upjohn to Vulcon Box 113	Waddell to WAGA Box 114
WAGA to WAGA Box 115	Walter to WATL Box 116	Wayman to WBGE Box 117	Western to Wheat Box 118	Wheeler's to WOMPI Box 119	WOMPI to W.R.C. Box 120
Wrigley to WYZE Box 121	Yaarab to Yaarab Box 122	Yaarab to Yaarab Box 123	Yaarab to Yaarab Box 124	Yaarab to Yarbrough Box 125	York to Zurich Box 126

Browse Geographic Places Series in alphabetical order

= contains selected scanned images

Named Streets Sub-series
Abernathy to Bouldercrest Box 1	Boulevard to Centra Box 2	Central to Decatur Box 3	DeKalb to Ellis Box 4	Garden to Hurt Box 5	Idlewood to Loch Box 6
Londonberry to Memorial Box 7	Merry to Northwest Box 8	Oak to Peachtree S Box 9	Peachtree S to Pollard Box 10	Ponce to Spence Box 11	Spring to Tuxedo Box 12
Union to Whitley Box 13	Whitmore to Zimmer Box 14
Outside Atlanta Sub-series
Acworth to Conley Box 1	Conley to East Box 2	East to Marietta Box 3	Marietta to Wilco Box 4
Outside Georgia Sub-series
Alabama to Paris, France Box 1

Browse Events Series in alphabetical order

= contains selected scanned images

Corporate Events sub-series
A. A. Synagogue to American Institute Box 1	American Safety to Atlanta Paper Box 2	Atlanta Sales to Buena Vista Box 3	Capital Airlines to Curtis Publishing Box 4	Daisy Queen to Davison Paxon [1950] Box 5	Davison Paxon [1951] to Davison Paxon [1959] Box 6
Davison Paxon [1959] to Exposition Cotton Box 7	4-H Club to Future Homemakers Box 8	Garlington to Georgia Institute Box 9	Georgia Institute to Greyhound Box 10	Hanover Insurance to John Deere Box 11	Kaiser - Willy to Mangel's Box 12
March of Dimes to Murray Company Box 13	National Appliance to Owen's - Illinois Box 14	Packard Motors to Refrigeration Sales Box 15	Rich's to Southeastern Fair 1940 Box 16	Southeastern Fair 1940 to Southeastern Fair 1941 Box 17	Southeastern Fair 1941 to Southeastern Fair 1943 Box 18
Southeastern Fair 1943 to Southeastern Fair 1943 Box 19	Southeastern Fair 1943 to Southeastern Fair 1949 Box 20	Southeastern Fair 1950 to Southern Federal Box 21	T-A-G to Twentieth Century Fox Box 22	U.C.T. to Variety Club 1949 Box 23	Variety Club 1951 to Women of Film Box 24
World Series to Youth Conference Box 25
Events by Person sub-series
Abbott to Goldwater Box 1	Hayes to Rodgers Box 2	Sanders to Yancy Box 3
Movie Premieres sub-series
Annie Get Your Gun to Gone With The Wind Box 1	Gone With The Wind to This Time for Keeps Box 2	Who Killed Aunt Maggie to The Yearling Box 3
Disasters sub-series
Bridge Collapse to Wreck Box 1
Miscellaneous Events sub-series
A-Day to Horse Show Box 1	Horse Show to Motor Cycle Race Box 2	Parade to World War II Box 3

Browse Portraits Series in alphabetical order

= contains selected scanned images

Aaron to Althisar Box 1	Ambrose to Ayers Box 2	Baarcke to Bazemore Box 3	Beach to Bevins Box 4	Bickens to Bozeman Box 5	Bracewell to Brady Box 6
Brubaker to Byrd Box 7	Cabaniss to Carpenter Box 8	Carr to Christine Box 9	Cleveland to Coleman Box 10	Coone to Cuyder Box 11	Dailey to Dewitt Box 12
Diamond to Dykes Box 13	Escon to Ezel Box 14	Fabian to Flurry Box 15	Flynn to Fussell Box 16	Gable to Goldberg Box 17	Golden to Greissen Box 18
Haas to Harper Box 19	Darrell to Heath Box 20	Heazel to Hollock Box 21	Holloway to Hynds Box 22	Igar to Johns Box 23	Johnson to Justice Box 24
Kadlejack to Knox Box 25	Knox to Lee Box 26	Lee to Lucas Box 27	Luce to Martin Box 28	Martin to McDonald Box 29	McDonough to Miller Box 30
Miller to Moore Box 31	Moore to Myers Box 32	Nabers to Nutting Box 33	Oakes to Oxford Box 34	Pace to Peachtree Box 35	Perkle to Porter Box 36
Portes to Reese Box 37	Reeves to Robert Box 38	Roberts to Rypins Box 39	Sabbitt to Sessions Box 40	Sesovosky to Sims Box 41	Sinclair to Smith Box 42
Smith to Stephenson Box 43	Stern to Symmons Box 44	Taber to Thompson Box 45	Thompson to Turner Box 46	Uchin to Wannamaker Box 47	Wansker to West Box 48
Westbrook to Williams Box 49	Williams to Woodcock Box 50	Wooden to Zulers Box 51	Miscellaneous: Aboriginal to Girls Band Box 52

Browse Things Series in alphabetical order

= contains selected scanned images

Box 1	Box 2	Box 3	Box 4	Box 5	Box 6
Box 7	Box 8	Box 9	Box 10	Box 11	Box 12
Box 13	Box 14	Box 15	Box 16	Box 17	Box 18
Box 19	Box 20	Box 21	Box 22	Box 23	Box 24
Box 25	Box 26	Box 27	Box 28	Box 29	Box 30
Box 31

Browse Miscellaneous Series in alphabetical order

= contains selected scanned images

A&P to American Box 1	American to Atlanta Box 2	Atlanta to Atlanta Box 3	Babcock to C&S Box 4	C & S to Coats Box 5	Coca-Cola to D.B. Box 6
Del-Mar to First Box 7	First to G.C. Box 8	Georgia to Gulf Box 9	Hallmark to Harris Box 10	I.D.S. to J.P. Box 11	Life to National Box 12
Nato to Puritan Box 13	Quality to Shell Box 14	Shell to Shell Box 15	Shell to Smart Box 16	Sophie to Standard Box 17	Standard to Trust Box 18
Trust to Zebra Box 19	Box 20	Box 21	Box 22	Box 23	Box 24
Box 25	Box 26	Box 27	Box 28	Box 29	Box 30
Box 31	Box 32	Box 33	Box 34

Copyright © Georgia State University Library 2000-2004
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
Georgia State University, 100 Decatur Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30303-3202
URL: http://www.library.gsu.edu  |  Contact Us