Coovert (J. C.) Photograph Collection PI/1990.0017
Photographer J. C. (John Calvin) Coovert was born in Danville, Kentucky, in 1862 and arrived in Greenville, Mississippi, around 1887. His studio, Patorno and Coovert, won a gold medal from the Paris Exposition in 1889 for "best state views." He went into business for himself around 1891, operating as Coovert's Photograph Gallery in Greenville, Memphis, Vicksburg, and Yazoo City, among other locations. He eventually settled in downtown Memphis, where he worked until his death, at age 75, on August 18, 1937.
Coovert is best known for his photographs of the cotton culture and the Mississippi River. However, Coovert's documentary photography covered a wide range of work activities and social conditions, including the programs of the Memphis Health, Police, and Public Works Departments.
This collection consists of eight (8) black and white photographs, most of which are captioned, taken in the 1890s in Greenville and Vicksburg. Scenes include flood waters, refugees fleeing the same, levees, cotton pickers at work, the Delta Guards, and the Greenville Fire Department. The photographs were a gift to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History from the Vigo County Historical Society in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1990.
read more...Photographer J. C. (John Calvin) Coovert was born in Danville, Kentucky, in 1862 and arrived in Greenville, Mississippi, around 1887. His studio, Patorno and Coovert, won a gold medal from the Paris Exposition in 1889 for "best state views." He went into business for himself around 1891, operating as Coovert's Photograph Gallery in Greenville, Memphis, Vicksburg, and Yazoo City, among other locations. He eventually settled in downtown Memphis, where he worked until his death, at age 75, on August 18, 1937.
Coovert is best known for his photographs of the cotton culture and the Mississippi River. However, Coovert's documentary photography covered a wide range of work activities and social conditions, including the programs of the Memphis Health, Police, and Public Works Departments.
This collection consists of eight (8) black and white photographs, most of which are captioned, taken in the 1890s in Greenville and Vicksburg. Scenes include flood waters, refugees fleeing the same, levees, cotton pickers at work, the Delta Guards, and the Greenville Fire Department. The photographs were a gift to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History from the Vigo County Historical Society in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1990.
Collection Description General & Tech Data Catalog Record
Image Arrangement and Numbering
The photographic curator numbered the prints in the order they were received from the Vigo County Historical Society.
Technical Details
Digital Photographs: The original scans of the Coovert (J. C.) Photograph Collection were made by the Image & Sound Section staff in June 2009, according to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Board of Trustees' approved imaging procedures, following ANSI/AIIM recommended practice. The images were scanned as uncompressed, 24-bit RGB TIFFs at 600 pixels per inch.
Conversion: For Web display, the original scans of the Coovert (J. C.) Photograph Collection were converted to zoomable JPEG tile sets in October 2022.
Rights Management
The images in the Coovert (J. C.) Photograph Collection are in the public domain and therefore free of copyright or other use restrictions. MDAH asks that each image used in a presentation, display, or publication be accompanied by the following credit statement:
Credit: Courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Copy Availability
High-resolution TIFFs of the images may be purchased from MDAH. The MDAH Public Order procedure and fee schedule apply. Consult the Photoreproduction and Digital Imaging policy or contact MDAH Reference Staff for order options as well as information on how to obtain and complete the necessary Public Order forms: 601-576-6876 or refdesk@mdah.ms.gov.