James N. Arnold image collection

This collection contains over 1100 glass plate negatives and 201 print photographs created by and/or collected by James N. Arnold. Arnold's professional work as a historian and writer began in earnest in the 1880s. Arnold traveled throughout Rhode Island collecting and transcribing local church records, pension rolls, burial records and town papers. The images in the collection depict scenes across Rhode Island including beaches, farms and landscapes as well as activities and community events such as ice skating, parades, football games and community gardens.
This collection is part of Providence Public Library Digital Collections, hosted by Providence Public Library.

Items in this collection

Yard

Yard

Providence Public Library

Image of the yard of a residential building. Shrubbery grows against the house, and plants drape from window boxes. Lawn furniture The yard is enclosed by a picket fence. Original box label reads "[illeg.] Price Garden C., 1916"

Yachts

Yachts

Providence Public Library

Image shows two yachts sailing in an unidentified body of water.

Yachts

Yachts

Providence Public Library

Image shows several yachts sailing in an unidentified body of water.

Yachts

Yachts

Providence Public Library

Image shows two yachts sailing in an unidentified body of water.

Yacht

Yacht

Providence Public Library

Image shows a yacht traveling in the distance.

Yacht

Yacht

Providence Public Library

Image shows a yacht in an unidentified body of water. Sailboats sail in the background.

Wright Quarry

Wright Quarry

Providence Public Library

Image shows a body of water at the Wright Quarry in Lincoln, RI. A large limestone formation reflects onto the water.

Wright Quarry

Wright Quarry

Providence Public Library

Image show the a body of water with large limestone rocks at the Wright Quarry in Lincoln, RI. VM013_FIC0652 in the Rhode Island Photograph Collection is a reproduction.

Workshop

Workshop

Providence Public Library

Image shows a workshop. Fabric is draped on machinery.

Woods

Woods

Providence Public Library

Image shows an old stonewall partially visible through trees and tall plants.

Woods

Woods

Providence Public Library

Image shows a wooded area. Trees grow densely around large rocks.

Woods

Woods

Providence Public Library

Image shows tall trees growing in lines in a wooded area. A dirt path runs through the center of the image.

Woodland scene

Woodland scene

Providence Public Library

Image of a wooded area with trees and rocks. A grassy clearing is in the forefront of the image.

Wooden logs

Wooden logs

Providence Public Library

Image shows wooden logs stacked next to a short stone wall. A house is visible in the background.

Wooden fence

Wooden fence

Providence Public Library

Image of a simple wooden fence and stone wall running between fields. Trees and brush are seen on the opposite side of the fence. Original box label reads "Diamond H [label torn off]", possibly Diamond Hill, Cumberland.

Wooden fence

Wooden fence

Providence Public Library

Image of a simple wooden fence and stone wall running between fields. Fields, houses, and trees and brush are seen on the opposite side of the fence. Original box label reads "Diamond H [label torn off]", possibly Diamond Hill, Cumberland.

Wooden chest

Wooden chest

Providence Public Library

Image shows a wooden chest with ornate carvings. A small stack of papers and a ruler sit on the floor under the chest. A framed photograph of a cathedral hangs behind the chest.

Wooded area

Wooded area

Providence Public Library

Image of a trees and rocks in a woodland area.

Wood box cameras

Wood box cameras

Providence Public Library

Image shows wood box cameras stacked by size. Cloth is draped behind the cameras.

Wood and metal device

Wood and metal device

Providence Public Library

Image of an unknown wooden and metal device that is possibly broken, in a wooded setting. A metal wheel is affixed to a back plank of wood.

Women on cliff

Women on cliff

Providence Public Library

Image shows two women a grassy cliff. A man stands with a walking stick on the left. A large body of water is in the background.

Women in kimonos

Women in kimonos

Providence Public Library

Image shows two side by side portraits of two women dressed in kimonos. One woman stands as the other sits and they switch positions in the second exposure.

Women in backyard

Women in backyard

Providence Public Library

Image shows three women standing with a dog in the backyard of a house. Laundry hangs on the line in the backyard. Two small wooden buildings stand in the rear of the yard. Trees shade the side yard in the foreground of photograph. Original box label reads "[illeg.] Price Garden C., 1916"

Woman on hammock

Woman on hammock

Providence Public Library

Image shows a woman sitting in a hammock on the porch of a house. The two story house has a wrap around porch and large yard.

Woman on athletic field

Woman on athletic field

Providence Public Library

Image of a woman with a large, feathered hat seen standing on an athletic field, next to a seated group of musicians. Crowds of spectators on bleachers are seen in the background. Original box label read "B.U. Pageant, 1914"

Woman and Nun Sitting on Rocks

Woman and Nun Sitting on Rocks

Providence Public Library

Two women sitting on the rocks by the ocean. One is wearing a nun's habit and looking directly into the camera. The other woman is in profile.

Woman and boy

Woman and boy

Providence Public Library

Image shows a woman standing in front of a tree. A boy sits on a tree branch next to her. A body of water is behind them.

Woman and boy

Woman and boy

Providence Public Library

Image shows a woman and boy posing for the photograph in front of a tree on the edge of an unidentified body of water. The woman wears a fur shawl.

Winter landscape

Winter landscape

Providence Public Library

Image of a frozen pond, surrounded by trees with branches bent downward from ice. Original box label read "Dia.Hill", believed to be Diamond Hill, Cumberland.