The collection consists of 9 photograph albums compiled and purchased by David King Jr. (1839-1894) and his wife, Ella Rives King (1851-1925). Some albums were purchased or compiled during David King Jr.'s work in the China Trade, others were compiled by David King Jr. and Ella Rives King after his retirement.
All researchers seeking to publish materials from the collections of the PSNC Archives and Special Collections are requested to contact the archivist, prior to reproducting, quoting, or otherwise publishing any portion or extract from this collection. Although the Preservation Society has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim copyright ownership. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the copyright and to obtain any necessary permission from them.
The collection is open to the public, and there are no restrictions on access. However, the collection can only be seen by scheduled appointment.
Title of item, PSNCA.H.034: David King Jr. and Ella Rives King Travel Albums, Box #, Preservation Society of Newport County, Newport, R.I.
This collection is arranged into a single series.
David King Jr. (1839-1894) was the son of Dr. David King (1812-1882) and Sarah Gibbs Wheaton (1814-1882) of Newport, Rhode Island. In 1858, he joined the China Trade, working alongside his uncles, Edward King (1816-1875) and William Henry King (1818-1897), for the firms Wetmore, Williams, & Co. and Russell & Co. He married his first wife, Helen Van Cortlandt Morris (1846-1871) of New York on January 26th, 1870. She died a year later, September 27th, 1871, while the couple was living in Fuzhou, Fujian, China. David King Jr. returned to the United States, and on January 7th, 1875, married Ella Louisa Rives (1851-1925), the daughter of Francis R. Rives (1821-1891) and Matilda A. Barclay (1824-1888). In 1876, David King Jr. took over guardianship of his uncle, William Henry King’s, properties and estate after he was institutionalized for mental health issues. David King Jr. and Ella Rives King maintained a residence in Washington, D.C. and summered in William Henry King’s Newport cottage, Kingscote. The couple had two children, Maud Gwendolen King [Armstrong] (1876-1968) and Philip Wheaton Rives King (1879-1922). The family traveled extensively in Europe. David King Jr. died in Washington, D.C. in 1894. Ella Rives King purchased Kingscote in 1900 from the heirs of William Henry King, who had died in 1898, and continued summering there until her death in 1925.
Felice Beato (1834-1907) was an Italian-British photographer who worked extensively in Asia. Beato opened a studio in Yokohama, Japan in 1863 and sold his work commercially. David King Jr. visited Yokohama in 1859, 1866, and 1871 and likely purchased a photograph album from Beato in 1871, as he only began selling bound albums in 1868.
The collection was acquired as part of the bequest of the Kingscote property and its contents to the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1972 by Gwendolen Armstrong Rives in her will.
Five albums (PSNCA.H.034.001-.005) were processed in 2023-2024 by archivist Genna Duplisea. Four additional albums (PSNCA.H.034.006-009) were processed by 2025-2026 archives fellow, Megan O'Connell in 2026. The finding aid was written and encoded in July 2026 by Megan O'Connell. Three albums, PSNCA.H.034.007, PSNCA.H.034.008, and PSNCA.H.034.009, were previously identified as I12Elms2.40 and located in the Elms second floor sitting room. One album, PSNCA.H.034.006, was previously identified as I12Elms2.40 and located in the Breakers Library.
Additional archival collections at the Preservation Society of Newport County originating from the contents of Kingscote were separated due to scope of collections, provenance, and in some situations digitization priorities. They include:
Four scrapbooks (PSNCA.H.034.001, PSNCA.H.034.002, PSNCA.H.034.003, PSNCA.H.034.005) in this collection are digitized and available at
Also identified as I12.Elms2.40 and previously in Breakers Library. Before that, it was in Elms Second Floor Sitting Room.
Also identified as I12.Elms2.40 and previously in Elms second floor sitting room.
Also identified as I12.Elms2.40 and previously in Elms second floor sitting room.
Also identified as I12.Elms2.40 and previously in Elms second floor sitting room.