Bristol (Va.)

The collection is organized into two series: Series 1, 5" x 7" negatives and prints; and Series 2, 4" x 5" negatives and prints. The negatives have been placed before the prints. Nitrate negatives have been placed in Box 3, and damaged cellulose diacetate negatives in Box 4.

Ridley Wills began collecting Tennessee postcards in the 1930s, eventually amassing some 30,000 postcards. In 2015, he began distributing them to regional institutions. The cards in this collection represent landmarks in East Tennessee, especially in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and in Carter, Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, Washington and Unicoi Counties. There are images of schools, churches, hotels, towns, railroads, scenery and more.