This digital collection comprises the work of photojournalist Leslie Jones.
Modest about his abilities as a photographer (he called himself a camera-man, not a photojournalist), Jones quietly built an unrivaled collection of photographic negatives. The collection numbers approximately 34.000 images, all of which were given to the Boston Public Library by his family in the early 1970's. The collection is a stunning pictorial document of the history of Boston in the 20th Century, and a tribute to the craft and artistry of a man who, by doing his job, preserved the past on glass and film.
About Leslie Jones
Leslie Jones worked for the Boston Herald-Traveler newspaper between the years 1917 and 1956. He was educated at the Farm and Trade School on Thompson Island. Jones first worked as a pattern-maker, but had long held an interest in photography. While working in a Boston factory, he continued developing himself as a freelance photographer. It was not until Jones unfortunately lost two of his fingers to the factory machinery, however, which led him to convert this avocation into his profession. He joined the Boston Herald-Traveler staff in 1917.
In his 39 years at the newspaper, Jones covered everything from a fox stuck in a tree on the Boston Common, to Charles Lindbergh's U.S. tour after the aviator crossed the Atlantic. His photographs document both the usual and the unusual in the daily life of Boston.
Learn more about how the collection was digitized and re-producued for online display at the Boston Public Library Digital Reproduction Studio.
Enjoy the collection. Questions regarding the design and compilation of this site can be addressed to the site administrator, Stephen J. Stose. Questions regarding the Leslie Jones collection can be directed to the Director of the Studio, Tom Blake (tblake AT bpl.org).
If you are interested in visiting the Print Department to see more photographs by Leslie Jones or if you have questions about the collection, please contact the Print Department at 617-536-5400, x280 or via email at prints@bpl.org, contact: Aaron Schmidt.
