Rockford Photo Services Photographs

Collection

Identifier: RHC-RC-282

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Rockford Photo Services Audiovisual Collection dates circa the 1950s and includes postcards, photographs, and negatives for various communities throughout the state of Illinois. The numbers listed in the collection inventory that follows the names of the cities designate the number of postcards, then photographs, then negatives in that particular folder.

Dates

created: 1950s
Other: Date acquired: 11/16/2006

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights in the collection belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.

Biographical or Historical Information

Rockford Photo Services started as the Camera Shop circa 1914. In the 1925 Rockford City Directory the company was listed as the Rockford Photo Services. The company was located at 100 W. State Street in Rockford until 1940 when it moved to 206/8 N. Main Street then to 214 N. Church Street in 1962. The company was listed as a photo finisher. Later the company expanded into “wholesale finishing for the drug and camera stores” and “one source of supply for all your photographic needs.” The company made reproductions of photographs of various cities in the area into postcards which were sold at drug stores for souvenirs. Reba Thill sold Rockford Photo Services to Colorcraft in 1968 shortly after the death of her husband, C. Carroll Thill, who had been the president of the company for many years. Reba Thill served as the secretary-treasurer of the firm under her husband and served as an officer for the company even after she sold it to Colorcraft. Mrs. Thill died in 1976. In the 1998 Rockford City Directory Colorcraft changes to Qualex, Inc. and is listed under that name until the 1993 City Directory.

Note written by

Extent

0.75 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Source of Acquisition

Tari Rowland

Method of Acquisition

Tari Rowland, Assistant Curator of Collections at the Midway Village and Rockford Museum Center donated the audiovisual collection for Rockford Photo Services to the Regional History Center on November 16, 2006.

Related Materials

Researchers interested in other postcards and photographs held by the Regional History Center should consult the Regional Collections Guide to Sources.