John D. Willis Lantern Slides

The John D. Willis Lantern Slides collection of 49 glass slides from 1905 - 1915 holds both hand colored and black-and-white lantern slides of Flushing’s buildings, streets, and monuments. Notable subjects include the Flushing Institute, Bowne House, Friends Meeting House, Flushing Armory, Kissena Park, and the Flushing House at Main Street and Northern Boulevard. The physical items are located at The Archives at Queens Public Library.

Little is known about John D. Willis. A man by that name was born in Flushing, where he lived until at least 1920 and worked as an importer for his family, though his identity has not been definitively linked to this collection. In December 1929, the will of a John D. Willis -specifying a gift of lantern slides - was filed in the Queens Surrogate Court.

The John D. Willis Lantern Slides collection (49 glass slides; 1905, 1910–1915) consists of hand-colored and black-and-white lantern slides. It also includes copy negatives and prints of these images, which depict the buildings, streets, and monuments of Flushing.