Archives West Finding Aid

Ella E. McBride (1862-1965) born in Albia, Iowa was an internationally noted fine-art photographer, as well as an avid mountain climber, environmentalist, and civic leader. She moved to Portland, Oregon with her family in 1865. Before going into photography, McBride was a teacher and in 1894 the principal at the Ainsworth school. She met Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) in 1897 during a climb he led up Mount Rainier. During the descent of this climb, Edgar McClure lost his footing and died. McBride was present during this accident. Curtis was impressed with her physical and mental strength and requested her assistance on other mountaineering treks. In 1907, she relocated to Seattle, WA after some convincing by Curtis to assist him in running his photography studio.

In 1916, she partnered with Edmund Schwinke, a photographer who also worked with Curtis, and opened her own studio in Seattle. She was soon joined by Wayne Albee in 1918 as a partner and chief photographer. During this time, McBride had yet to acquire her own photographic skills and had to rely on Albee. Sometime later, the photographers Frank Kunishige and Soichi Sunami (1885-1971,) who both worked at Curtis’s studio for a short period of time, joined McBride. With all of their help, McBride developed her own photography. She focused primarily on floral subjects. By 1921, she had started exhibiting Pictorial photographs and, along with her assistants, she produced beautiful images of iconic dancers from the Cornish School of Allied Arts. In the following years, McBride participated in regional, national and international competitions and exhibits. One competition of note was sponsored by the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain in 1922 where her work was accepted into this prominent Salon for their sixty-seventh annual.

McBride then joined a newly formed group called the Seattle Camera Club (SCC) and became one of their most accomplished members. The SCC was established by Dr. Kyo Koike and fellow Japanese Immigrants or Issei who were all amateur photographers in 1924. Even though this group was made up predominately by Issei, they attracted and welcomed Caucasian photographers who tended to be more professional. Ella McBride was one of the first Caucasian and female photographer who joined this male dominated group. The club became a place where different cultures and races could meet, for instance, McBride tended to use elements from the Japanese aesthetic in her floral photographs. The SCC were able to bring national awareness to Seattle’s artistic scene through photographic publications, exhibits, and competitions. In 1927, McBride’s work was admitted into the First International Photographic Salon of Japan and this was followed by solo exhibitions containing her best works at the California Camera Club, San Francisco and at the Portage Camera Club in Akron, Ohio. Unfortunately, the SCC had to disband in 1930 due to the Great Depression. McBride was able to stay afloat during this time by conducting commercial photographs and a solo exhibit at the Art Institute of Seattle in January 1931. A couple of years later, she became a member in a new organization, the Seattle Photographic Society, which still exists today.

Her studio operated successfully for more than 30 years. In 1932, she brought a new partner into her studio, Richard H. Anderson who was a highly skilled portrait photographer. The studio then became, McBride and Anderson. She retired at the age of 91 because of her failing eyesight, but she continued to be involved in the world of photography as a consultant. During her nearly 103 years, she maintained successful professions in the fields of art, education, and business. She was an adventurous, creative woman who embodied the pioneering spirit associated with the American West.