The Burton Holmes Archive's photostream  

The Burton Holmes Archive is the world's largest repository of films, photographs, programs, scrapbooks, and other ephemera related to the life and career of Burton Holmes, the "Father of the Travelogue".

Burton Holmes coined the term "Travelogue" in 1904 to advertise his unique live stage presentations combining stories of his travels with slides and motion pictures. Sophisticated and elegantly attired, Holmes became the world’s most famous traveler during the first half of the 20th century through his books, magazine articles, lectures and films. Born into a prosperous Chicago family in 1870, Holmes turned a chance encounter in the early 1890’s with John L. Stoddard, the then reigning 19th century travel lecturer, into a lifelong career. Each summer for over fifty years Holmes would roam the globe and then tour American auditoriums in the winter; during the 1945-46 season alone, at age 75, he gave 157 two-hour lectures. Slowed by ill health and television, Holmes retired to Hollywood in 1952 and died there in 1958. His company, Burton Holmes International, survived into the 1970s.

Also included in this collection are photographs, programs, films and other items by and of Andre de la Varre (1902-1987) who was associated with Holmes for 40 years, first as his cameraman in the 1920s and 1930s and then as his partner in the 1950s.

All photographs and films on this site are available for licensing for use in books, magazines, calendars, films, museum exhibitions and other uses. For information, visit the: BURTON HOLMES ARCHIVE web site.


Visit our other sites:

Archive Farms Inc

The Caribbean Photo Archive

The History of Photography Archive

The Travel Film Archive

The Travel Film Archive (You Tube).

The Travel Film Archive (Flickr)

The Industry Film Archive.

The Newsreel Archive.