A Century Later: Rare 1925 Album of Cuba Comes to the Library

July 2026

The Library's Special Collections and Archives Division recently acquired a historically significant photographic album of Cuba dating to 1925. The album contains 1,670 images representing the island's six original provinces and provides a broad visual record of Cuban architecture, industry, and civic life during the early twentieth century. Featured subjects include government and administrative buildings, private residences, public parks and plazas, churches, academic institutions, factories, sugar mills, outdoor sculptures and monuments, as well as portraits of political figures at both national and municipal government levels.

The album was produced by Henry Clay and Bock & Co., Ltd., a cigar company, as part of a promotional campaign. Similar to modern collectible sports stickers or trading card albums popular today, customers purchased small photographs individually and placed them in designated spaces to gradually complete the album. This format created an engaging collecting experience for cigar clientele and enthusiasts while encouraging repeat purchases. Beyond its commercial purpose, the album also served as a marketing tool that promoted tourism and interest in Cuba.

The album was acquired by the Library through a generous donation from Wayne James, a Miami-Dade resident with a long family history connection to the photographs. A native of the Virgin Islands, James inherited approximately one hundred images from his maternal great-uncle, Alexander Messer, who migrated to Cuba to work in the sugarcane industry.

In the mid-1920s, Messer began including photographs of the country in letters sent to his parents and siblings, sharing scenes of his life and surroundings in Cuba. The photographs were preserved by his younger brother, Alphonso, who safeguarded them in the family home in St. Croix for nearly 50 years before they were eventually passed on to Wayne.

Over the years, James undertook the patient task of locating the additional photographs needed to complete the album, acquiring images from private collections around the world. His efforts resulted in four completed albums and multiple sets of photographs. In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the album's printing in 2025, James decided to donate one copy to the Miami-Dade Public Library System.

The album has been digitized page by page to preserve its integrity as a historical object and to present it in its original assembled form. Accompanying the album is the original company booklet, which serves as an index to the photographs. The donor generously lent the booklet to the Library for digitization so it could also be made available online as a reference tool. In addition, the Digitization team is currently scanning each individual photograph in high resolution to make them available upon user request.

This rare historical acquisition is now part of the Cuban Memorabilia Digital Collection: "Cuba en 1925" Album and Booklet.