Scope and arrangement
The H.W. Hannau photographs compiles two projects, American Views and Views of New York City, which Hannau worked on throughout the 1940s. These photographs depict architecture, parks, gardens, bridges, cities, and small towns across the United States.
Included are black and white prints, negatives, scrapbooks, and postcards of various locations in the United States. some of the photographs are also compiled in scrapbooks. There are many medium format contact prints, as well as enlargements across various sizes, from 4x6 to 8x10 prints. Many photographs were duplicated across multiple sizes.
Hannau, with support from the Galerie St. Etienne, toured the continental United States for the American Views project. The original 120 negatives and contact sheets, which Hannau later cut into 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 squares, comprise the bulk of the American Views materials. Florida, Colorado, Wyoming, and California are well represented. Boxes 1-6 contain individual 120 negatives and corresponding contact prints. Hannau's original order has been maintained in the physical organization of these folders. Folders have been arranged alphabetically in this finding aid for ease of use. Boxes 10 and 14-16 contain 8x10 prints.
Views of New York City features photography of Lower Manhattan and Midtown's architecture, parks, bridges, and the Manhattan skyline. Many duplicates are present in a variety of sizes.
Many of the photographs are titled, numbered, or captioned by Hannau. The postcards feature a Galerie St. Etienne stamp.
The five deconstructed scrapbooks feature prints from both American Views and Views of New York City, glued onto black paper and often captioned in Hannau's hand.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically. Hannau's original organization is maintained in the physical organization of folders in Boxes 1-6.