William S. Lagen family home movie films, 1925-1962

Overview of the Collection

Creators
William S. Lagen family
Title
William S. Lagen family home movie films
Dates
1925-1962 (inclusive)
Quantity
39 reels : color and black and white ; 16mm, 8mm, Super 8mm
Collection Number
PH1207
Summary
Home movie collection documenting the life of William Schupp Lagen, (1923-). Activities run from his second birthday to his second wedding. Significant portions take place in the Port Hobron whaling station in Alaska owned by his family.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Access to the original films is restricted. Viewing copies are available for patron use.

Additional Reference Guides

These materials were separated from the William S. Lagen Papers collection, University of Washington accession number 2292-001.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Encoding for this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the UW Libraries 21st Century fund.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

William S. Lagen was the only child of Marc Lagen and Emily Schupp. Emily was a modern dancer who took the stage name " Lada " in 1914. The Schupp family fortune was made in the insurance business, and this was eventually complemented by success in the whaling industry. William was born in the Schupp family home at Pawling Manor, New York on July 29, 1923, and he subsequently moved to Seattle with his parents and grandfather in 1925. Marc Lagen managed the American Whaling Company, which was headquartered in Bellevue, Washington's Meydenbauer Bay. A family home was built in the area in 1941. William went to Port Hobron, Alaska during the summers with his parents, where he enjoyed fishing, sailing, rowing, and playing with his dog, Bolo. He also enjoyed skiing and other outdoor activities as a young man, and traveled to Europe for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. William attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and became an officer in the U.S. Navy. As an officer, he was stationed on the aircraft carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt in Greece in the late 1940s, and later in New Mexico. After his military service, William returned to Bellevue and expanded the Meydenbauer Bay Marina that had been built by his parents. The original whaling dock can be seen today as the center of the Marina. William also owned Trident Seafoods in Akutan, Alaska. He was married twice, and had two children named Marc and Deborah.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The films in the William Lagen home movie collection documents five decades of personal history in the Northwest. Various family events and vacations comprise the bulk of the collection, with Alaska featuring prominently as a leisure and business destination for the Lagens. The business of whaling and whale flensing is also depicted. William Lagen's (the son of Marc and Emily) military career is highlighted in the second part of this collection.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Film titles for the collection have been derived from canister and box labels present at the time of donation.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the Special Collections division of the University of Washington Libraries for details.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Gift of William Lagen, 1998.

Processing Note

Processed by Libby Burke, 2002-2003; Alden Lee, 2013; Andrew Weaver, 2014; Kelly Burton, 2016.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Container(s) Description Dates
viewcopy item
VC5 1 William Lagen's Second Birthday
Title card reads, "William Schupp Lagen, July 19, 1925, celebrates his second birthday at Bellevue, WA with Daddad - Taunte - Luella - Mamma - Ida - etc." A young William with ducks on a lake shore, and riding in a boat with a woman. An outdoor birthday party that includes other children, a cake with candles, presents, and a sailor suit for the occasion. William "Daddad" Schupp and Dorothy "Dodo" Schupp give a gift to William.
Original1 reel (400 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
July 29th, 1925
VC5 2 William Lagen's Third Birthday, Part 1
Title card reads, "Bill Lagen takes his third birthday less seriously - he sees Daddad and plays with his 'pals' in the park." William getting into a car with his mother, Emily; with nanny and a new tricycle; going to a house at Meydenbauer Bay; running through a sprinkler; playing on a lake shore. William riding his new tricycle in Seattle's Volunteer Park, playing with man's hat on the grass, and sailing a toy boat on the park's pond.
Original1 reel (400 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
July 29th, 1926
VC5 3 William Lagen's Third Birthday, Part 2
William sailing a toy boat on a Volunteer Park pond with Emily and his dog, Bolo.
Original1 reel (50 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
July 29th, 1926
VC5 4 William Lagen's Fourth Birthday
Title card reads, "William Schupp Lagen celebrates his fourth birthday at Pawling Manor, his birth place, and Dodo throws a party." An outside birthday party is being thrown at Pawling Manor in New York, with a group of children around a small garden table. A recreational beach with a pier, and a group of young men in bathing suits.
Original1 reel (200 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
July 29th, 1927
VC5 5 Port Hobron, Alaska
William woodworking in a yard in Kodiak Island County, Alaska, and being given two birthday gifts from a young boy and a girl. William boating in a dinghy named Little Skate, with Bolo, the family dog. Emily, Marc, and Bolo posing for the camera on a rural porch. William raising the U.S. flag on a flagpole, spearfishing salmon in a creek, and giving his catch to Bolo.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1931
VC5 6 Fishing and Whaling in Alaska
A whale spouting water from its blowhole, and a group of people exiting a lighthouse. William playing with bear cubs gathered inside a box. A blue whale being pulled onto the shore. Children on a boat, pulling up starfish and fishing from the boat's side. William playing with a pistol on a boat with his father, Marc. Flensing, or the act of removing blubber from a whale, is being performed by maritime workers.
Original1 reel (400 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1931
VC5 7 Whale Flensing, Part 1
A blue whale being pulled up a ramp to a boning yard, where workers begin the flensing process.
Original 1 reel (50 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1934
VC5 8 Whale Flensing, Part 2
Workers at a whale rendering facility, including the buildings, ramps, and boats of the plant.
Original 1 reel (50 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1934
VC5 9 Lagen Family in Alaska
Emily standing by a whale on shore, and then climbing on it. William on a sailboat with Emily, Marc, and Bolo. William spearfishing for salmon, and holding up dead ducks.
Original 1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1934
VC5 10 Catching Salmon
William spearing salmon in a stream with the family dog, Bolo.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1934
VC5 11 Whaling
A whale spouting water from its blowhole, and a whale being captured.
Original 1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1934
VC5 12 Port Hobron: Family Activities and Whales, Part 1
William and Emily in a dinghy. Dead whales floating in the water. The Lagens fishing and feeding ducks. Emily coming up a hill among tall grass, taking off her dressing gown, posing in bathing suit, and gathering flowers.
Original1 reel (400 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1935
VC5 13 Port Hobron: Family Activities and Whales, Part 2
Whale flensing; the inside of a rendering house; a dead whale on the shore; a boat named Moran; a whale hauling ramp; large piles of whale innards. William taking off his boots on a porch; rowing with Bolo and Emily; in a boat with Marc.
Original 1 reel (400 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1935
VC5 14 Great Yarmouth Sailboat on Campbell River
Mountains and evergreens in the snow. A group of adolescents dressed in swimsuits and light summer clothing, playing in a yard and eating watermelon. A sailboat named Great Yarmouth. Emily reading on a sailboat, with William climbing the mast, tying flag knots, and polishing brass.
Original 1 reel (400 feet) : silent, black and white and color ; 16mm
circa 1936
VC6 15 Friday Harbor Canning Company, and a Birthday in the Redwoods
William and Emily on a sailboat, with the Friday Harbor Canning Company and various other port businesses on the nearby docks. William, Emily and Marc at a mission in California, with William wearing a pith helmet. William climing around the "Coolidge Tree" in the California Redwoods.
Original1 reel (400 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa July, 1936
VC6 16 Naden Harbor and Vancouver, British Columbia, Part 1
Marc Lagen and others riding in a boat. Whale rendering houses in Canada.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white and color ; 16mm
circa 1936
VC6 17 Naden Harbor and Vancouver, British Columbia, Part 2
William feeding vegetation to a fawn, and petting the deer as it drinks from a bottle. Various coastal buildings in Canada from the deck of a moving ship.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1937
VC6 18 Skiing at Mount Baker
The Lagen family skiing at Mount Baker in Washington.
Original1 reel (200 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1931
VC6 19 Emily and Marc Lagen at Home
William, Emily, Marc, and Bolo posing in the garden of a house. A strong windstorm blowing through the trees of a coastal residence.
Original 1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1936
VC6 20 The Voyageur on Meydenbauer Bay, Bellevue
William Schupp's house and yard. A dock, with WIlliam and others waving from a boat.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1938
VC6 21 Whaling Boats Leaving Bellevue, Part 1
Whaling boats leaving from a dock. Emily, William, and Bolo on the dock, with Bolo fetching sticks from the water. William raising a flag up a pole on the edge of the water. William rowing a small boat, with Bolo riding along.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1937
VC6 22 Whaling Boats Leaving Bellevue, Part 2
More whaling boats leaving from port.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1937
VC6 23 Going to Europe on the Bremen
William walking on the deck of a ship, wearing a beret.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
undated
VC6 24 Automobile Trip to the East Coast
William, Emily, and Marc, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Emily in a traveling car. William shooting a gun in the desert among saguaro cacti, and exploring a cave. Emily standing next to a "Louisiana" sign. William and Marc walking among skyscrapers in New York City, both wearing a suit and tie.
Original 1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1936
VC6 25 House of Uncle Harry
William, Henry (Uncle Harry) Schupp, and two unknown women posing on the grounds of a large white home. William feeding pigeons in a park. William sightseeing from an elevated vantage point, with the White House and Washington Monument in Washington D.C. in the background.
Original 1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1936
VC6 26 Skiing
William on skis near a cabin.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1937
VC6 27 U.S. Naval Academy
Sailors and civilians on the deck of a moving boat. Military excercises on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy. William in a naval uniform, smiling and holding a tiny puppy.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white ; 16mm
circa 1945
VC6 28 U.S. Naval Academy and Greece
Exercises at the U.S. Naval Academy. Ancient ruins in Greece, with views of the coast from the deck of a boat. Aerial views of unidentified land.
Original1 reel (400 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1947
VC6 29 Activities on the Aircraft Carrier Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Various naval actitivites, including the placement and detonation of mines and depth charges.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1949
VC6 30 Emily Lagen and Child
Marc, the first child of William and his wife, Shannon, wearing a red jacket and playing on the front walk of a home.
Original1 reel (50 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1952
VC6 31 Albuquerque, New Mexico
Infant Marc in a high chair with Shannon. Mother and son getting into the passenger seat of a 1952 Plymouth. Infant Marc outside of a stucco home, playing with a dog and a toy in the yard.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1952
VC6 32 William Lagen with His Children
William playing with his children, Marc and Debbie, on swings at a Bellevue, Washington home.
Original 1 reel (100 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1953
VC6 33 Aircraft Carrier Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Aircraft taking off from carrier Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and aircraft with folded wings. Planes landing on the runway of the carrier.
Original1 reel (100 feet): silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1952
VC6 34 Seashore
Panoramic views of a recreational shoreline. A man swimming with young Marc in a large public pool.
Original 1 reel (100 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1954
VC6 35 Aircraft Carrier and Lagen Family
Aircraft performing maneuvers from the deck of a carrier. Young Marc playing with Emily and Shannon.
Original 1 reel (100 feet) : silent, color ; 16mm
circa 1954
VC6 36 A Wedding
The reception for William's second wedding, with toasts and gifts. The couple driving away in a car that is decorated for the occasion.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : black and white ; 16mm
circa 1962
VC7 37 Fishing Trip in the Woods
People on fishing trip, presumably in the Pacific Northwest. A huge waterfall and river; the aftermath of a forest fire; various log cabins; a large log house by a lake; a seaplane parked at a dock.
Original 1 reel (200 feet) : silent, color ; 8mm
undated
VC7 38 Parade at Oak Harbor, Washington
A childrens' parade through Oak Harbor, Washington, including drill team and a doll parade; men dressed in antiquated police uniforms, carrying a "town drunk" to jail; people building a parade float on a farm; another parade, with navy men marching; fishing boats, and powerboat racing.
Original1 reel (100 feet) : silent, black and white and color ; 8mm
undated
VC7 39 Camping
Trucks and camping trailers; men packing for a trip; driving into mountains covered with snow; chaining up tires; a naked man washing up in a river and unpacking the truck; men putting deer antlers on their heads.
Original 1 reel (100 feet) : silent, color ; Super 8mm
undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Bays--Alaska
  • Families--Northwest, Pacific
  • Family vacations
  • Rivers--Alaska
  • Salmon fishing--Alaska
  • Skis and skiing--Washington (State)--Baker, Mount
  • Whales--Alaska
  • Whaling ships--Alaska
  • Whaling ships--Washington (State)--Bellevue
  • Whaling--Alaska

Personal Names

  • Lada stage name, active 1920
  • Lagen, William S.--Anniversaries, etc
  • Lagen, William S.--Archives
  • Lagen, William S.--Family

Corporate Names

  • American Pacific Whaling Co
  • United States Naval Academy

Family Names

  • Lagen family
  • Schupp family

Form or Genre Terms

  • Amateur films

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Moving Image Collections (University of Washington)
  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)