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George I. Hazeltine and Martin M. Hazeltine photographs, 1866-circa 1920

Overview of the Collection

Photographer
Hazeltine, Martin M., 1827-1903
Title
George I. Hazeltine and Martin M. Hazeltine photographs
Dates
1866-circa 1920 (inclusive)
1866-1900 (bulk)
Quantity
Approx 9 cubic feet, (1,063 photographs, 374 stereographs, and 4 postcards in 6 document boxes and 2 oversize boxes; and 733 glass plate negatives in 17 boxes)
Collection Number
Org. Lot 467 (collection)
Summary
This collection contains photographs taken by Oregon photographers Martin M. Hazeltine and his brother, George I. Hazeltine. Martin M. Hazeltine was one of the early photographers of Yosemite and traveled from California to Alaska making photographs before settling down in Baker City, Or., later in his career. George settled in Canyon City, Or., in the 1860s and photography became one of his many enterprises. Martin M. Hazeltine's photographs make up the bulk of the collection and depict scenic views of Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Yellowstone National Park.
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

The collection is open to the public. However, special arrangements are required to view the original mammoth size prints. Contact the Oregon Historical Society Research Library staff for information.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
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Biographical Note

Brothers Martin Mason Hazeltine (1827-1903) and George Irving Hazeltine (1836-1918) trained in photography at New York City in 1852. Martin went west to California in 1850 but returned and persuaded his younger brother to join him in learning photography before heading to California. In 1853, after visiting the Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York City, the brothers boarded a steamship to San Francisco by way of the Isthmus of Panama. In San Francisco, they operated a daguerreotype studio together until 1855. At that time, the brothers parted ways and began their separate careers as professional photographers and businessmen.

George Irving Hazeltine divided his attention among photography and various mining and business enterprises and public service. George engaged in mining and photography at various locations in California until 1860. That year, he joined a party headed for the mines at Canyon Creek, Or. George married Emmaline C. McCallum (1843-1936) in 1862 in Shasta County, Calif., and his family joined him on his Canyon Creek claim in 1863. He engaged in photography and mining in the Baker County and John Day region of Oregon for most of the remainder of his life. In 1864, he established a pack train service from Canyon City to The Dalles. In 1865, he and his father-in-law, A.R. McCallum, built a flour grist mill at present day John Day, believed to be the first such mill in eastern Oregon. George also served as county judge (1878-1882; 1890-1894) and county treasurer (1896-1898).

As a photographer, George concentrated on studio portraiture and scenic views of eastern Oregon. Briefly in the 1880s, he joined his brother Martin in operating a studio at Baker City, but he soon returned to Canyon City. He was a Mason, and in addition to gaining regional recognition as a photographer, George was noted for his participation in civic activities, as well as his successes and failures in in a variety of businesses. He also was known as a musician who played fiddle and bass for community dances. George Hazeltine died in Grant County at the age of 82.

Martin Mason Hazeltine made his living and his reputation almost entirely as a photographer, although he tried mining with his brother, George, for a brief period. He traveled widely, photographing the scenery in Yosemite Valley and other places in California, Yellowstone National Park, Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon. During the 1860s and 1870s, Martin photographed primarily in California, including Yosemite, where he established a summer studio, and Mendocino County, where he and his family occasionally wintered. In 1876, he joined his chief rival, J.J. Reilly, at Yosemite. He was married to Barbara Fabing in 1855, and she and their children often spent summers camping out with him on his extended photography expeditions. They lost a son and a daughter in an 1877 smallpox epidemic.

Martin marketed many of his images as stereographs, both on his own and through publishers such as John P. Soule of Boston, Thomas Houseworth and Company of San Francisco, Kilburn Bros. of New Hampshire, and Moulton of Salem, N.H. Martin issued many of his images in stereograph sets, titled in various ways, including "Hazeltine's Gems of the Pacific Coast." He also assembled sets of stereographs advertising railroads, including the Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, and occasionally he published the work of other photographers.

In 1878, Martin began moving farther afield. He opened a photography gallery in Reno, Nev., for a time, but by 1882 he had a gallery in Boise, Idaho, and by about 1885 seems to have settled down in Baker City, Or. He traveled widely throughout much of his career: Alaska in 1878, Idaho and Yellowstone Park in 1883, and to various places in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington throughout the 1880s and 1890s. In 1880, he visited Baker City, Or., and by 1884 established a companion gallery to his Boise studio. His business in Baker City was known as Hazeltine's Excelsior Studio by the 1890s. Martin's brother, George, joined him in operating the studio briefly before returning to Canyon City. In 1888, Martin was assisted at fairs near Baker City by a young boy, Wesley Andrews, who later gained renown as a photographer and postcard marketer in the Northwest. Among photographers who worked for Martin Hazeltine in the 1890s were Miss Josephine Rea and Miss Rata Allen. Martin died in Baker City at age 76.

Two of Martin's children became photographers. Leland S. Hazeltine was offering his photography services in Joseph, Or., as early as 1884, and he is believed to have established himself in the photography business at Lakeview, Or. Viola Hazeltine, herself a photographer, married Roland T. Parker of Parker's Studio in Baker City and worked with her husband in the business under the name Parker Studio.

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Content Description

The work of Martin M. Hazeltine represents the largest part of the Hazeltine Photographs, with heavy emphasis on scenic views of Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Yellowstone National Park. The original photography includes a large number of albumen print stereographs; glass negatives in sizes ranging from half-stereograph to 8 inches by 10 inches; and mounted albumen prints, both loose and in an album. The collection also includes a large number of prints made over the course of several decades at the Oregon Historical Society from Martin Hazeltine's original negatives. Many of these prints appear to be duplicative but actually are made from different negatives. The same image may have negatives for the left and right sides of stereographs, as well as a 5x7-inch or 8x10-inch glass plate. There also is duplication among the original stereographs because Martin Hazeltine often issued the same stereograph in different sets under various titles and for several different railroad lines. The duplication in the stereographs documents that practice. Many of the stereographs on mounts that Martin Hazeltine issued after 1885, when he settled in Baker City, were produced from earlier negatives.

George Hazeltine's work represents a much smaller part of the collection, including original albumen portraits and other mounted prints, primarily taken in the Canyon City area. His work also may be represented in some of the portrait work among the original negatives.

Also included in the collection are two images made by L.S. (Leland S.) Hazeltine, Martin's son, and some later portrait work from original negatives that may have been made by Roland and Viola Hazeltine Parker. In addition, there is a small number of original Parker Studio portraits, including one of Mrs. George (Emmaline) Hazeltine.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any reproduction use. Permission is required from the Bancroft Library for a group of images in the Mendocino, Calif., materials and from the Portland Art Museum for an image in the Portraits by George I. Hazeltine. The donor has placed some restricitons on George I. Hazeltine images. See the verso of the photographs for details.

Preferred Citation

George I. and Martin M. Hazeltine photographs, Org. Lot 467, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series and subseries:

  • Series A: Agriculture, 1869, undated
  • Series B: Camping and Other Recreational Activities, circa 1869-circa 1905
  • Series C: Fishing and Fisheries, circa 1878-circa 1900
  • Series D: Indians, 1878, undated
  • Series E: Locations, circa 1869-circa 1905
    • Subseries 1: Alaska
    • Subseries 2: California
    • Subseries 3: Idaho
    • Subseries 4: Oregon
    • Subseries 5: Pennsylvania
    • Subseries 6: Utah
    • Subseries 7: Washington State
    • Subseries 8: Wyoming (and Montana): Yellowstone Park
    • Subseries 9: Unidentified Locations
  • Series F: Lumber Industry, undated
  • Series G: Mining, circa 1875-1899
  • Series H: Other Images, circa 1890
  • Series I: Portraits, 1866-circa 1920
  • Series J: Transportation, circa 1869-circa 1890s
  • Series K: Background material, undated

Acquisition Information

The bulk of this collection comes from Library accession nos. 9647 and 11942 (Photo accession no.1998D011).

Processing Note

When the original negatives arrived at the Oregon Historical Society, they were given numbers in the institution's "OrHi" series. These have been retained in subsequent processing of the collection. A chart of the photographer's original numbers (when there was one) matched to the OrHi numbers is available at the Research Library. The stereographs were reproduced and given location numbers in an early computerized system that remains in use at the Research Library through a card catalog. The stereographs were subsequently returned to the Hazeltine Collection, and a guide matching current locations to old location numbers is available at the Research Library.

Related Materials

The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, holds significant collections of the work of Martin and George Hazeltine. Collections include: "Mendocino County Photographs, circa 1867-1869, by M.M. Hazeltine," 44 albumen cartes de visite photographic prints, and "Photographs of Oregon, California, Idaho, and Other Western Scenes, 1857-circa 1895," including 310 stereographs, cartes de visite and mounted albumen prints by Martin and George Hazeltine. The Oregon Historical Society Research Library collection includes some original negatives for images similar to those in the Bancroft's Mendocino County collection. The Bancroft also holds a number of Hazeltine images scattered through several other collections. Information about them is available on the websites of the Bancroft Library and the Online Archive of California.

Bibliography

Hickman, Paul. "Martin Mason Hazeltine, 1827-1903: A Chronology." Stereo World , 20 (Jan.-Feb. 1994): 4-13. [Includes citations of a number of primary sources.] Robinson, Thomas. Oregon Photographers; Biographical History and Directory, 1852-1917. Portland, Or.: self-published, 1993.
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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Agriculture--California--Photographs.
  • Agriculture--Oregon--Photographs.
  • Camping--California--Photographs.
  • Camping--Oregon--Photographs.
  • Camping--Yellowstone National Park--Photographs.
  • Chinese Americans--Oregon--Photographs.
  • Fish trade--Northwest, Pacific--Photographs.
  • Fishing--Oregon--Photographs.
  • Indians of North American--California--Photographs.
  • Indians of North American--Nevada--Photographs.
  • Indians of North American--Oregon--Photographs.
  • Lakes--Northwest, Pacific--Photographs.
  • Lumber trade--Northwest, Pacific--Photographs.
  • Mineral industries--Northwest, Pacific--Photographs.
  • Mountains--Northwest, Pacific--Photographs.
  • Railroads--California--Photographs.
  • Railroads--Oregon--Photographs.
  • Rivers--Northwest, Pacific--Photographs.
  • Steamboats--Columbia River--Photographs.
  • Waterfalls--Northwest, Pacific--Photographs.

Family Names

  • Hazeltine family--Photographs.

Geographical Names

  • Alaska--Photographs.
  • Baker City (Or.)--Photographs.
  • Baker County (Or.)--Photographs.
  • California--Photographs.
  • Columbia River (Or.)--Photographs.
  • Columbia River Gorge (Or. and Wash.)--Photographs.
  • Crater Lake (Or.)--Photographs.
  • Hood, Mount (Or.)--Photographs.
  • Idaho--Photographs.
  • Pacific Coast (Calif.)--Photographs.
  • Portland (Or.)--Photographs.
  • Yellowstone National Park--Photographs.
  • Yosemite National Park (Calif.)--Photographs.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Glass negatives.
  • Mammoth plates.
  • Photograph albums.
  • Photographic prints.
  • Stereographs.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Hazeltine, G. I. (George Irving), 1836-1918--Photographs. (photographer)
    • Hazeltine, L. S. (Leland S.) (photographer)

    Corporate Names

    • Hazeltine's Excelsior Studio (Baker City, Or.) (photographers)
    • Parker Studio (Baker City, Or.) (photographers)

The collection was arranged and described by Elizabeth Winroth, circa 1980-1985; Mandy York-Oates, 1998; and Sharon M. Howe, 2003.
2003

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