Ruth Penington photograph collection and artwork, approximately 1880-1936, 1985

Overview of the Collection

Artist
Penington, Ruth, 1905-1998
Title
Ruth Penington photograph collection and artwork
Dates
approximately 1880-1936, 1985 (inclusive)
approximately 1880-1889 (bulk)
Quantity
18 photographic prints
3 pencil sketches
2 woodcuts
Collection Number
PH0681
Summary
Portrait photographs of various people, most unidentified; also included are three pencil sketches and two woodcuts
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

Collection is open to the public.

Additional Reference Guides

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Ruth Esther Penington (1905-1998) was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado; her family moved to Seattle in 1907. After graduating high school, she went on to study art at the University of Washington, receiving a B.F.A. in 1927 and an M.F.A. in 1929. Penington continued her studies in summer sessions at Columbia University Teachers College, Carnegie Summer School at the University of Oregon, and at the California College of Arts and Crafts. A faculty member of the University of Washington School of Art, Penington also served as director of the University's Henry Gallery and created her own summer art program, the Fidalgo Summer School of the Allied Arts (located in La Conner, Washington).

Although Penington worked in a variety of media, including painting and printmaking, she was best known for her metalwork and jewelry. She was involved with organizations such as Lambda Rho, Northwest Printmakers, and Friends of the Crafts. These groups worked to promote the arts and to organize exhibitions and sales featuring artists and craftspeople from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. She also was active as craftsman-trustee of American Crafts Council, New York.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of seventeen black and white portrait photographs, as well as one color photograph, three pencil sketches of Seattle scenes, and two woodcuts. Only a few of the portraits, made circa 1880, are identified; also included is a modern photograph of Ruth Penington. The pencil sketches depict scenes on Denny Hill in Seattle and appear to have been made circa 1928; the prints date from 1929 and 1936.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

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

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series: Photographs, Pencil Sketches, and Woodcuts.

Custodial History

Ruth Penington donated materials to the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning in April 1992; the items in this collection were subsequently given to the Plestcheeff Institute for the Decorative Arts.

Acquisition Information

Donor: Robert Dishmond, Plestcheeff Institute, June 1992.

Processing Note

Processed by Shannon B. Lynch, 2005.

Photographs were relocated from the Ruth Penington Papers, Manuscripts Accession No. 2837-002 in the repository in 2005.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Photographs, circa 1880, 1985Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder item
1/1 1 1985
1/2 2
Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Edith Corin
circa 1880
1/2 3
Clara and Norman (ages five and three)
circa 1880
1/2 4
Woman with infant and two young girls
Caption lists the names Mrs. Pennington [sic], Manning, Virginia, Mary, and Florence. The short-haired middle child is probably Mary; the infant may be Manning. Presumably, Virginia or Florence is the first name of the woman.
circa 1880
1/2 5
Man and woman
One caption reads "Laura and John," but another insists that the woman is "notLaura."
circa 1880
1/2 6
Maggie (Gilliland) Counts
circa 1880
1/2 7
Infant (possibly Manning)
circa 1880
1/3 8-9
Young couples
circa 1880
1/3 10
Woman with infant
circa 1880
1/3 11
Infant in carriage
circa 1880
1/3 12-19
Girls and women
circa 1880

Pencil sketchesReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
box-folder:oversize item
2/1 20-22
Scenes on Denny Hill, Seattle
Item 22 depicts Sacred Heart Church on Denny Hill.
circa 1928

Woodcuts, 1929, 1936Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
box-folder:oversize item
2/2 23
Composition
Three nude women among trees.
1929
2/3 24 1936

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Girls--Washington (State)--Seattle--Portraits
  • Infants--Washington (State)--Seattle--Portraits
  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
  • Women--Washington (State)--Seattle--Portraits

Personal Names

  • Penington, Ruth, 1905-1998--Photographs

Geographical Names

  • Denny Hill (Wash.)--Drawings