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

Snow covered road

Snow covered road

Providence Public Library

Image shows tire tracks in a road covered in heavy snow. Trees grown next to the road in a large field. Original box label reads "R.W. Park, [illeg.] Farm, [illeg.], H.H., Ice pictures, Jan. 1915"

Snow covered road

Snow covered road

Providence Public Library

Image shows tire tracks in a snow covered road. Evergreen trees, and bare shrubs grow next to the covered road. Original box label reads "R.W. Park, [illeg.] Farm, [illeg.], H.H., Ice pictures, Jan. 1915"

Snow covered road

Snow covered road

Providence Public Library

Image shows tire tracks on a snow covered road. Bare trees and plants grow on snow covered ground next to the road. Original box label reads "R.W. Park, [illeg.] Farm, [illeg.], H.H., Ice pictures, Jan. 1915"

Snow covered land

Snow covered land

Providence Public Library

Image shows a snow covered landscape. Tire tracks are visible on the snow covered road in the foreground. Bare trees and plants grow on the land next to the road. A house is visible in the background. Original box label reads "R.W. Park, [illeg.] Farm, [illeg.], H.H., Ice pictures, Jan. 1915"

Snow covered land

Snow covered land

Providence Public Library

Image shows the land next to a road covered in deep snow. Bare plants and trees grow on the snow covered ground. Original box label reads "R.W. Park, [illeg.] Farm, [illeg.], H.H., Ice pictures, Jan. 1915"

Snow covered land

Snow covered land

Providence Public Library

Image of a snow covered field with bare trees and plants. Original box label reads "R.W. Park, [illeg.] Farm, [illeg.], H.H., Ice pictures, Jan. 1915"

Smokestacks

Smokestacks

Providence Public Library

Image of a small group of people sitting on a stone wall at the base of tall brick chimneys or smokestacks. Original box label read "Exeter, 1914".

Smith fulling mill, Smithfield.

Smith fulling mill, Smithfield.

Providence Public Library

Three quarter image of a house with a stone foundation and wooden siding. A tree is standing at the corner of the structure.

Small tree and house

Small tree and house

Providence Public Library

Double-exposed image of a small tree against a white sheet as a backdrop, superimposed with an image of a large house under construction.

Small tree and house

Small tree and house

Providence Public Library

Double-exposed image of a small tree against a white sheet as a backdrop, superimposed with an image of a large house under construction.

Small tree

Small tree

Providence Public Library

Image of two a man and a child holding a white sheet as a backdrop behind a small tree.

Small tree

Small tree

Providence Public Library

Image of two a man and a child holding a white sheet as a backdrop behind a small tree.

Small tree

Small tree

Providence Public Library

Image of a person holding a white sheet as a backdrop behind a small tree.

Small tree

Small tree

Providence Public Library

Image of a person holding a white sheet as a backdrop behind a small tree.

Small tree

Small tree

Providence Public Library

Out-of-focus image of two a man and a child holding a white sheet as a backdrop behind a small tree.

Small tree

Small tree

Providence Public Library

Image of two a man and a child holding a white sheet as a backdrop behind a small tree.

Small structure in snow

Small structure in snow

Providence Public Library

Image shows a small one room addition attached to another structure. Snow lays on the roof and blankets the yard and adjoining land. Hedges and a picket fence enclose a yard at the side of the building and large tree grows nearby.

Small plot of land

Small plot of land

Providence Public Library

Image shows a small plot of land, possibly a cemetery. Stones are placed periodically in the plot.

Small house

Small house

Providence Public Library

Image of a single story house, built on a foundation of large rocks, seen on top of a hill with trees in its yard. Original box label read "Diamond H., Fog Mill, Reservoir", believed to be Cumberland, Rhode Island.

Small house

Small house

Providence Public Library

Image of a single story house, built on a foundation of large rocks, seen down a hill through trees in its yard. Original box label read "Dia.Hill", believed to be Diamond Hill, Cumberland.

Small house

Small house

Providence Public Library

Image shows a small two story house on a corner lot. The house has a front covered porch and a picket fence encloses the small front yard. An almost identical house stands next to the house. Original box label reads "[illeg.] Price Garden C., 1916"

Small dam

Small dam

Providence Public Library

Image of a wide, short dam in an unidentified town. Buildings are seen on the opposite shore.

Small cascades

Small cascades

Providence Public Library

Image of water falling over small drops, with a bridge over the water is seen in the background, through a parting in small trees and bushes. Original box label read "Exeter, 1914".

Small building

Small building

Providence Public Library

Image shows a small one story building with three doors. Laundry hangs on clotheslines in the yard of the building. A hedge separates the yard from the neighboring land. Original box label read "Gov. P.G.C, 1918-1"

Slide on hill

Slide on hill

Providence Public Library

Image of a long wooden slide built on a steep hill. Trees and plants grow at the base of the hill. Original box label reads "[illeg.] Price Garden C., 1916"

Sitting room

Sitting room

Providence Public Library

Image shows the interior view of a sitting room. Wooden chairs are placed near the walls of the room. Paintings hang on either side of a fireplace. Two vases and a clock sit on the mantel.

Side yard

Side yard

Providence Public Library

Image shows the side yard of an unidentified building. The small manicured yard has flower beds and is enclosed by a picket fence and stone wall. Original box label reads "Gov Garden [ill.], 1917" Due to original box label, it's assumed the garden was part of the 1916 Governor Beeckman's Garden Prize for Mill Villages. Three prizes were awarded: best vegetable garden, best flower garden and greatest improvement in general appearance of mill village.