Poster 3 of 100

The Record of a City: Lakeview Ave.

“Tenements Occupied by Poles,” circa 1909

This image served to expose Lowell’s notorious absentee landlords. In 1912, MacMillan Co. published socially progressive books, including The Record of a City: A Social Survey of Lowell, Massachusetts by Reverent George Kenngott. This photo was part of a chapter critical of housing conditions.

In 2023, Lowell historian Brad MacGowan connected the images in this chapter with the original prints stored at Harvard Art Museums. The book and the collection credit the photographs to Herbert Hope, a mill worker and member of Kenngott’s First Trinitarian Congregational Church. The skills of a seasoned professional photographer would have been needed to work with over 20 models and capture a compelling, well-composed image. We now believe Hope was a photography collector or broker. Indeed, further investigation matched handwriting on this print to Annie Powell’s known handwriting. That, as well as British idioms on other captions, help us say this was Annie Powell’s work.

This also shows themes she expressed elsewhere. The dark figure may represent a careless absentee landlord unconcerned with the welfare of the children. A woman leans out of the window as if keeping an eye on them.

These tenements were torn down during the 1960s era of redevelopment. Today, the area is still a vibrant Polish community.

Check out vlogs on the collection, why we link them to Annie Powell, and another similar poster in the project.

Source Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum. Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College, 3.2002.47.1