Archives West Finding Aid

The collection consists of photographs taken by Clarence and Otto Langstaff. Since both were avid amateur photographs who did not often sign their negatives, it is mostly unknown to which brother each image is attributable. Clarence and Otto Langstaff took a series of photographs at Mount Rainier in the 1910s, packing in the heavy camera equipment and glass negatives of the day. The wilderness images include carefully composed panorama and summit views of the mountain, along with scenery such as lakes, rivers, ranges and historic park buildings at Paradise Visitor Center. Recreational activities documented in the series include tent camping, backpacking, horse packing, mountaineering and auto touring on primitive roads. Detailed historic views of Mount Rainier topography such as ice fields and glaciers may be of particular interest to modern climatologists and geologists.

The Camp Weaver series of photographs documents Washington National Guard training camp activities in 1900, at the time Otto Langstaff was a member. The photographs depict men in uniform, military drills, horses, firing ranges, family events and informal domestic camp scenes.

The photographs in the collection are all modern prints made by MOHAI from the original negatives.