Manchester Bros.

The photographs on these stereographic cards were taken just across the Providence River from the Erik Gould photos to your left. In the decades between these sets of images, dramatic changes took place in this once biodiverse scene. These photos also illustrate a long history of socioeconomic differences in waterway use and access, with one shore decimated by industry and the other preserved as a place of wealth and exclusivity.

Squantum, the location written on the cards, speaks to the displacement of Indigenous peoples throughout New England, as well as the continued use of Native names as geographic identifiers. The anglicized name Squantum comes from Tisquantum, also known as Squanto,  the Wampanoag translator and teacher of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, or Patuxet. Today the Squantum area is home to a private club, further limiting access.

– Laurie Anne Brewer, associate curator of costume and textiles