About this Item
Three albums. Oblong quartos (8 ½" x 11"). Contains a total of approximately 160 linen-backed gelatin silver prints measuring about 7 ½" x 9 ½", including two panoramas each consisting of five prints in length. Most have the distinctive Burgert Brothers studio logo handwritten in the image at the bottom corner, and a few of the later prints have the studio name stamped on the back with additional identifying information and dates written in pencil. All three albums are screw-bound in flexible leather covers, one is lettered in gold on the spine: "St. Petersburg". The leather is worn at the edges of the covers and spine, one spine back is perished and one is chipped and partly detached, several intermittent prints are toned along the outer margins, a few are stained at one corner, else very good overall with some curling at the edges. Shot by the Burgert Brothers, a preeminent commercial studio located at Tampa, this comprehensive collection of three promotional albums contains numerous historic and charming images of St. Petersburg dating from the 1920s up through 1947. Included are impressive birds-eye views of bustling main streets and iconic buildings. There are numerous photos of modern residential homes, many completed in the Spanish Colonial style and designed by some of Florida s most prominent twentieth century architects such as M. Leo Elliott and Franklin O. Adams. There are also views of larger residential buildings including the Princess Martha Apartments, and various hotels: including the Suwannee, the Soreno, and Vinoy Park. Also present are many lush interior views of the hotels, and some detailed shots of the furniture used to appoint them. Many of the photographs also depict a community at leisure, enjoying a day about town or at the beach, participating in local celebrations, etc. Public spaces represented include the St. Petersburg pier, St. Petersburg Spa, and Bartlett Park, together with many lively shots of the Shuffleboard Club. Other recreation and sports areas include a baseball stadium, bocce ball court, and golf course. Identified civic and commercial buildings present in the collection include the St. Petersburg Military Academy, the Masonic House, the American Legion, and St. Anthony s Hospital. Among the views of St. Petersburg s Fountain of Youth, is one humorous image of elderly folks having a drink there. Another off-beat image shows the window display of a bait and tackle shop, with fishing equipment and a taxidermized fish arrayed around a three-dimensional map of Tampa Bay. A scarce surviving collection of Burgert Brothers photographs presenting a vibrant pictorial record of the commercial, residential, and social growth of Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg in the early twentieth century.
Seller Inventory # 567388
Contact seller
Report this item
