Archives West Finding Aid
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Harold M. Brown photographs, circa 1909-1956
Overview of the Collection
- Photographer
- Brown, Harold M., 1887-1956
- Title
- Harold M. Brown photographs
- Dates
- circa 1909-1956 (inclusive)19091956
- Quantity
- 1.58 cubic feet, (1 letter document case; 1 slim legal document case; 1 oversize flat box (13x16x3); 1 card file box (12x8x5); 1 oversize folder (48x18))
- Collection Number
- Org. Lot 197
- Summary
- Collection consists of photographs taken by Harold M. Brown, a commercial photographer in Oregon and Washington, from approximately 1909 to 1956. Subjects include photographs of the lumber and shipping industries in northwestern Oregon, views of various locations in Oregon and Washington, including ranches and agriculture, and portraits of Brown and other people. The collection also includes photocopies of three of Harold M. Brown's photography ledgers, dating from 1922 to 1956 which include details about dates and locations for numbered Brown prints.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Harold M. Brown was born in Minnewaukan, North Dakota, on June 2, 1887. During the first half of the 20th century, he worked as a commercial photographer, primarily focusing on the lumber and shipping industries in northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington. During World War II, Brown also served as an Army photographer. He died on August 17, 1956.
Source: Harold M. Brown obituary, Oregonian, August 24, 1956, Page 21.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Collection consists of 140 photographs and 13 Cirkut panoramic photographs taken by Harold M. Brown from approximately 1909 to 1956. The bulk of the collection documents the lumber, agriculture, and shipping industries in Oregon between 1917 to 1956. These photographs depict the following companies: Pope & Talbot Co., Eastern & Western Lumber Co., Oregon-American Lumber Co., Nicolai-Neppach Co., Crown Willamette Paper Co., Crown Zellerbach Corporation, and the Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation. Photographs of freighters used for lumber transportation are also included. The collection also contains photographs of locations in Oregon and Washington, including the Bonneville Dam, Cascade Locks, the Columbia River, Heceta Head, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, Portland, Tahkenitch Lake, Vanport, and the Washougal River. Additionally, there are portraits of Harold M. Brown and other people. The collection also includes photocopies of three of Harold M. Brown's photography ledgers, dating from 1922 to 1956, which include details about dates and locations for numbered Brown prints.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
Selected Harold M. Brown photographs are viewable online in OHS Digital Collections.
Preferred Citation
Harold M. Brown photographs, Org. Lot 197, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in the following series:
- Series 1: Portraits
- Series 2: Lumber industry
- Series 3: Agriculture
- Series 4: Transportation
- Series 5: Locations
- Series 6: Harold M. Brown photograph ledgers
Acquisition Information
Gifts of multiple donors from 1960 to 2023; purchase from Old Oregon Bookstore in April 1959 (Lib. Acc. 7932); and transfer from Benton County Historical Society in August 2003 (Lib. Acc. 25234).
Preservation Note
Due to fragility, rolled panoramic photographs in Box 3 and Box 4 are not available for use by researchers. Contact library staff for assistance.
Processing Note
Four mounted photographs of logging equipment that were incorporated into this collection in August 2023 were previously cataloged as the Harold M. Brown logging photographs collection, Org. Lot 1314.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1: Portraits, 1928-1946Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | Brown, Harold M. |
circa 1946 |
| 1 | 2 | Davis, Colonel Lee D. |
approximately 1940-1944 |
| 1 | 3 | Troup, Captain James M. and Mrs. Troup, Champoeg, Oregon |
1928 |
Series 2: Lumber industry, 1920-1956Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 4 | Crown Willamette Paper Co. - Logging trains |
undated |
| 1 | 5 | Crown Zellerbach Co. |
1947-1953 |
| 3 | Cobbs and Mitchell Co., Valsetz, Oregon (rolled panorama) |
1926 August 9 | |
| Folder | |||
| 1 | 6 | Eastern & Western Lumber Co. |
approximately 1925-1940 |
| 1 | 7 | Nicolai-Neppach Co., Portland, Oregon |
1926 July 27 |
| 1 | 8 | Oregon-American Lumber Co. sawmill, Vernonia, Oregon |
1940 August 31; undated |
| 1 | 9 | Pope & Talbot sawmill, Oakridge, Oregon |
1950-1952 |
| 1 | 10 | Pope & Talbot sawmill, St. Helens, Oregon |
1941-1951 |
| 3 | Shingle mill, Vernonia, Oregon (rolled panorama) |
1926 April 9 | |
| 4 | Tahkenitch Tree Farm (rolled panorama) |
1950 April 15 | |
| Folder | |||
| 1 | 11 | Unidentified lumber companies |
undated |
| 1 | 12 | Unidentified lumber companies - Logging activities |
1920-1950 |
| 1 | 13 | Unidentified lumber companies - Logging camps |
undated |
| 3 | Unidentified lumber companies - Panoramic photographs (2 rolled panoramas) |
undated |
Series 3: Agriculture, 1918-1920Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 14 | Flett ranch, Rock Creek, Oregon |
1918-1919 |
| 1 | 15 | Frank Pennington ranch, unidentified location |
1920 |
| 1 | 16 | Tom Stull ranch, unidentified location |
1918 |
| 1 | 17 | Other agricultural photographs |
circa 1918-1920 |
Series 4: Transportation, 1909-1956Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 18 | Automobiles and stagecoaches |
1909; circa 1945 |
| 1 | 19 | Ships |
1920-1950 |
| 1 | 20 | Ships - Oregon Shipbuilding Corp. |
approximately 1935-1945 |
| 1 | 21 | Ships - Wreck of the Glenesslin at Neakahnie Mountain, Oregon
Includes photograph of artwork (artist unknown) of the shipwreck and a newspaper clipping.
|
1913-1956 |
Series 5: Locations, 1917-1955Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 22 | Columbia River - Bonneville Dam |
circa 1934; 1948 May 30 |
| Folder | |||
| Oversize 1 | Columbia River - Bonneville Dam construction (2 flat panoramas) |
1933 November 13; 1937 March 4 | |
| Oversize 1 | Columbia River - Cascade Locks and Bridge of the Gods (2 flat panoramas) |
1937 April 25; 1949 June 4 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 23 | Columbia River - fishwheels and locks |
1922; 1934 February 12 |
| 1 | 24 | Columbia River - McNary Dam |
1949 September 26 |
| 1 | 25 | Oregon - Condon |
approximately 1920-1921 |
| 1 | 26 | Oregon - Depoe Bay |
1928 |
| 1 | 27 | Oregon - Crooked River - Cove State Park and power plant |
1946 September |
| Folder | |||
| Oversize 1 | Oregon - Fossil (flat panorama) |
circa 1920 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 28 | Oregon - Gwendolen |
circa 1921 |
| 1 | 29 | Oregon - Heceta Head |
1950-1955 |
| 1 | 30 | Oregon - Metolius River Gorge and Mount Jefferson |
1948 August 28 |
| 1 | 31 | Oregon - Mount Hood |
circa 1950 |
| 1 | 32 | Oregon - Portland |
circa 1920-1954 |
| Folder | |||
| Oversize 1 | Oregon - Portland - Panoramic view from Rocky Butte (flat panorama) |
1949 May 18 | |
| Box | |||
| 3 | Oregon - Portland - Panoramic view from Scenic Drive (rolled panorama) |
1949 June 18 | |
| Folder | |||
| 3 | 1 | Oregon - Portland - St. John's Bridge construction |
1930-1931 |
| 1 | 33 | Oregon - Portland - 1948 Columbia River flood damage |
1948 July |
| 1 | 34 | Oregon - Tahkenitch Lake |
1950 |
| Folder | |||
| Oversize 1 | Oregon - Vanport - 1948 Columbia River flood damage (flat panorama) |
1948 July 21 | |
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 35 | Washington - Mount Adams |
1954 September 25; undated |
| 1 | 36 | Washington - Washougal River - wreck on Camas Bridge |
circa 1945-1955 |
| 1 | 37 | Unidentified locations |
1917-1954 |
Series 6: Harold M. Brown photo ledgers, 1922-1956Return to Top
This series contains photocopies of three photo ledgers kept by Harold M. Brown from approximately 1922 to 1956.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 1 | Ledger 1 - Image Numbers 280 - 2128 (photocopy) |
circa 1922-1929 |
| 2 | 2 | Ledger 2 - Image Numbers 2182 - 4084 (photocopy) |
1929-1947 |
| 2 | 3 | Ledger 3 - Image Numbers 4085 - 5744 (photocopy) |
1947-1956 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Agriculture--Oregon--Photographs
- Floods--Oregon--Portland--1948--Photographs
- Floods--Oregon--Vanport--Photographs
- Lumber trade--Oregon--Photographs
- Shipping--Oregon--Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- panoramic photographs
- photographs
Juliane Schudek and Megan K. Friedel; revised by Laura Cray
2007; revised 2023
