Archivists preserve and describe historic documents, but the interpretation process is ever-evolving. Historic New England’s archivists recently re-described this photograph of the Paul Revere House in our collection as part of an ongoing effort to examine and contextualize archival collections to broaden their accessibility.

What do you see when looking at this photograph?

Titled “Home of Paul Revere, Boston” and photographed by Henry Greenwood Peabody for the Detroit Photographic Company c. 1900, it is indeed a photograph of the famed revolutionary’s house in the North End of Boston—but that analysis is surface-level. With deeper context, the image depicts much more.

This photograph shows not just a building but also the evolution of its surrounding neighborhood. It provides a tangible glimpse into the changing demographics of Boston at the turn of the twentieth century, particularly in the North End. The businesses in the background illustrate the shift of the neighborhood as Southern Italian immigrants increasingly made it their new home while escaping prolonged, crippling poverty and famine during the Età di Giolitti (Age of Giolitti). In the background of the photograph, it is possible to read signs for the Banca Italia where one could bank in their native language, a cigar company called F.A. Goduti & Co., and an international shipping post to send items (no doubt including money) from the United States back home. Some of the immigrants during this time, specifically men, came to stay; others were “birds of passage,” working to send money home to aid family and later returning themselves.

To me, however, the children are most central to this photograph. Were they asked to be in the picture? It looks too organized to be a 120-year-old photobomb. Did the photographer know some children made him, or the situation of the photograph, the butt of their own private joke? Understanding of Neapolitan hand gestures makes that abundantly obvious, multiple times over.

Why write about this now? What’s the relevance?

None of the above is reflected in the original cataloguing of the image. Perhaps it was never noticed or understood. Perhaps it was not deemed integral to the photograph. Who can say? Having grown up in and around the North End’s neighborhood and culture, however, it is easy for me to see more. Supplemented with more context, images like this one become more comprehensible. Interpretation is at the heart of making archival collections broadly accessible and demonstrates history’s continued relevance today.

None of these additions negate the importance of the Paul Revere House or the fact that it is central to this photograph. However, by looking at the photograph more holistically, understanding more about the time and demographic shift in this neighborhood, and having a deeper cultural context, there is simply more to see.

While this is knowingly or unknowingly captured by the photographer, it is further revealed through enhanced description and subject knowledge to help share new meaning to the incredible primary resources in Historic New England’s collections. While I consider it my professional duty to share this more nuanced view with as many people possible, it is my personal honor to do so as we continue to examine different viewpoints of the past, present, and make way for the future.  

Find out more about the Paul Revere House.

Cristina Prochilo is the Library and Archives manager for Historic New England.