Archives West Finding Aid

Frank Palmer (1864-1920) was a commercial photographer in Eastern Washington in the early 1900’s. Although he left a wide ranging visual record of Eastern Washington and Idaho, little personal or business records of his life were left beside a few ledger books, some few pieces of incoming business correspondence to his wife and a few advertisements.

When Palmer died in 1920, a brief obituary in the Spokane “Daily Chronicle” indicated he came to Spokane, Washington from Atchison, Kansas in 1908. His wife, Francis, a German immigrant who assisted Palmer in of his photographic endeavors, inherited his negatives and continued to sell prints until 1930.

Palmer began his work as a photographer in the area from about 1900 to his death, specializing in “scenic photography," much of it of a promotional nature. One of Palmer’s business cards listed his offerings as “Inland Empire-Wonderland Scenery - Farm – - Orchard - - Live Stock and all the varied Industries,” reflected in this collection of his photographs, which also included photographs of America Indians in Eastern Washington and Idaho. Many of Palmer’s photographs were used by transportation companies and local chambers of commerce to promote tourism and were made into postcards. Among his clients were North Idaho’s Red Collar Steamship Line, railroads including the Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Spokane Inland Empire and the Idaho & Washington Northern, the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, the “Spokesman Review” and “Outdoor World and Recreation Magazine.”

In 1987, Edward W. Nolan, Curator of the Special Collections and Archives at Eastern Washington State Historical Society produced the book, “Frank Palmer, Scenic Photographer,” providing an historical context for Palmer, and describing and dating many of the photographs in their collection.