The original Providence High School was dedicated on March 20, 1843. In 1869, it was determined that the school had become too crowded, and after some debate about whether to split the student body into two school buildings by gender, it was determined that students would remain in a single, larger school with separate departments and separate entrances by gender. This larger school was built on Summer Street and the dedication was held on September 3, 1878. It became Providence Classical High School in 1898.
All but one of the photo mounts are stamped with the studio of Heald & Erickson of Providence, RI. An advertisement published in 1895 indicates that Heald & Erickson was at the time located at 333 Westminster St.
The collection contains twenty-five photos of young women. All but one bear the mark of the studio of Heald & Erickson of Providence, Rhode Island. Most are labeled on the reverse with a handwritten caption that includes a name and the text “P.H.S. ‘95”.
Researchers are advised to contact Rhode Island College Special Collections for questions regarding permissions to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise publish material from this collection. Although Rhode Island College has physical ownership of the collection, it does not necessarily hold literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
The collection is open for research.
Providence High School photographic portraits, MSS-0166, Special Collections, James P. Adams Library, Rhode Island College.
The collection is not arranged in any discernible order.
The collection was donated in 2025.
The collection was described by Special Collections Assistant Anne Boylan in 2025.
The collection has not been digitized.