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)
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

Arranged alphabetically by subject.
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

Arranged alphabetically by place name.
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