Saint John's, June 1886, view from the cemetery

The Saint John's Abbey and University Archives possess thousands of photographic images produced from the 1870s to the present. Included in the collection are 5700 glass plate negative photographs of which two are exhibited here. The Saint John's Studio (1880-1928) documented the history, not only of Saint John's Abbey and University, but surrounding parishes, towns, and individuals. The Saint John's Studio was founded by Father Peter Engel, OSB, (later, fourth abbot of Saint John's Abbey, 1894-1921), an early chemistry professor of the college. The Studio was open to the public and many portraits of local families are included in the collection, along with images of the monks of the abbey, Saint John's University sports and academic clubs, and images of the surrounding area. The archives has cataloged most of these rare and unique photographic images of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and are available for researchers.