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

Trees

Trees

Providence Public Library

Image shows large trees opposite an unidentified body of water. A wooden hand railing runs in the foreground.

Trees

Trees

Providence Public Library

Image shows trees growing in a field.

Trees

Trees

Providence Public Library

Image shows a path in a wooded area between tall trees.

Trees

Trees

Providence Public Library

Image shows trees growing on the side of a hill.

Trees

Trees

Providence Public Library

Image shows a group of trees growing in a field. A large rock stands next to the trees.

Trees

Trees

Providence Public Library

Image shows a group of trees growing on a slight hill. A stone wall runs in the background.

Trees

Trees

Providence Public Library

Image of small trees and brush at the edge of a field. Original box label read "Dia.Hill", believed to be Diamond Hill, Cumberland.

Trees

Trees

Providence Public Library

Image of small trees and brush spread across a field. Original box label read "Dia.Hill", believed to be Diamond Hill, Cumberland.

Tree with utility pole

Tree with utility pole

Providence Public Library

Image of tree without leaves atop a grassy area above a stone wall. A utility pole is to the left of the tree. Several houses or other structures appear in the background.

Tree next to stream

Tree next to stream

Providence Public Library

Image shows a tree growing next to a stream. The branches of the tree reach over the water.

Tree in meadow

Tree in meadow

Providence Public Library

Image of a large tree growing at the edge of an open field. A stone wall runs across the foreground. Original box label read "Dia.Hill", believed to be Diamond Hill, Cumberland.

Tree in meadow

Tree in meadow

Providence Public Library

Image of a tree growing in a meadow. Houses and a road extending toward the hills are seen in the distance. Original box label read "Dia. Hill-99", believed to be Diamond Hill, Cumberland.

Tree behind a stone wall

Tree behind a stone wall

Providence Public Library

Image of a large tree seen in a field on a hill. A stone wall runs across the foreground and near the tree. Original box label read "Dia. Hill-99", believed to be Diamond Hill, Cumberland.

Tree

Tree

Providence Public Library

Image shows a single tall tree growing on a hill. Trees and a house are visible on hills in the background.

Trail

Trail

Providence Public Library

Image shows a dirt trail winding through a wooded area. A tree grows diagonally over the trail.

Town overlook

Town overlook

Providence Public Library

Image of an unidentified town seen from on top of a grassy hill. A mill building by a wide river and a church are prominent.

Tomb of Oliver Arnold

Tomb of Oliver Arnold

Providence Public Library

Tomb of Oliver Arnold, Attorney General of R.I., North Burial Ground. A wreath hangs from the door, and other graves are seen in the background.

Tomb of James Fenner

Tomb of James Fenner

Providence Public Library

Image shows the tomb of RI Senator James Fenner in North Burial Ground. Fenner's tomb is built into a slight hill. Original box label reads "Sweet"

Tomb of Gov. Elisha Harris

Tomb of Gov. Elisha Harris

Providence Public Library

Image shows the tomb of Governor Elisha Harris. Flower are laid at the foot of the tomb. A large tree grows in the back of the cemetery.

Tin barrel

Tin barrel

Providence Public Library

Image shows a tin barrel next to an unidentified ruin. Smoke rises from the chimney of a small house in the background.

Thicket

Thicket

Providence Public Library

Image of young, densely clustered trees, possibly birch, near a field.

The Puritan statue

The Puritan statue

Providence Public Library

Image featuring the statue of Deacon Samuel Chapin on the Quadrangle in Springfield, Massachusetts. In the background, the Springfield City Library and the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum can be seen.

The Old Man of the Mountain

The Old Man of the Mountain

Providence Public Library

Image shows the "Old Man of the Mountain" on Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The Bather

The Bather

Providence Public Library

Illustrated image of a woman bathing outdoors.

Textile mill

Textile mill

Providence Public Library

Image shows the interior of a textile mill. The large open room is filled with rows of industrial looms. Large windows line the far wall.

Tennis Courts and Building

Tennis Courts and Building

Providence Public Library

Image of a large building with many chimneys in the background. In the fore, are several tennis courts.

Tall trees

Tall trees

Providence Public Library

Image shows three tall trees growing next to an unpaved road or driveway. One door of a wooden gate is open, providing access to the road. Houses are visible in the background on the far side of a field. Original box label reads "R.W. Park, [illeg.] Farm, [illeg.], H.H., Ice pictures, Jan. 1915"

Tailor

Tailor

Providence Public Library

Image shows the United States Tailoring Company shop. A tailor stands with a dog in the front door. Two girls on the side steps of the shop.

Sweet Home, Johnston

Sweet Home, Johnston

Providence Public Library

from note: [illeg.] Elder Sweet home, Johnston. and Manton Ave. Daniel Waterman [illeg.] very old 1654? Image of the Clemence-Irons house during the period that it was owned by the Sweet family. Image shows a small house with a large stone chimney, and chairs, gardens, and a spinning wheel out front.

Swan Point Cemetery

Swan Point Cemetery

Providence Public Library

Image shows the headstone of Daniel S. Hazard, Hannah S. Hazard and Charles F. Cooper in Swan Point Cemetery. A large stone stands behind the headstones and reads "Reynolds, Hazard, Cooper".