Item 91: Interior of Bancroft Memorial Library

Printed in 1974 from glass plate negative no.B91. ca. 1903. Image depicts an interior view of the Bancroft Memorial Library in Hopedale, Massachusetts A large, circular wooden desk sits in the center, behind which are rows of wooden bookcases, filled with books. Two card catalogs sit on either side of the room. Wooden railings can be seen on each side (sectioning off other rooms?), and the room has wooden arches and columns. There is a large hanging chandelier with eight lamps, plus wall sconces on the columns. The library was donated to the town in 1898 by Joseph Bancroft, a Draper Company executive, in memory of his wife, Sylvia. The building was designed by Boston architect C. Howard Walker. It is constructed of Milford granite, and was modeled after Merton College Chapel at Oxford. Original photograph by the Draper Company. 25.25 x 20.25 cm.