Archives West Finding Aid
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Bertram C. Towne photographs, circa 1884-circa 1898
Overview of the Collection
- Photographer
- Towne, Bertram C
- Title
- Bertram C. Towne photographs
- Dates
- circa 1884-circa
1898 (inclusive)18801900
1887 (bulk) - Quantity
- 20 photographic prints, 1 album (1 box) ; 8.5 x 5.25 in.
- Collection Number
- PH0502
- Summary
- Boudoir size photographs of Alaska, Oregon and California by early Portland photographer Bertram C. Towne
- 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
-
Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Bertram C. Towne was a photographer active in Portland, Oregon, during the period 1884-1895. From 1884-1887, B.C. Towne and Elbridge W. Moore operated the San Francisco Gallery in Portland as partners, having assumed control of the gallery after the death of W.H. Towne. At this time, the studio was also listed as "Towne & Moore." From 1888-1895, the studio operated as "B.C. Towne Photograph Company" and was located on First Street in Portland. In October, 1890, the West Shore , a popular weekly publication that promoted life in the Pacific Northwest, named Towne as a photographic contest winner in the "professional" category. Carl Mautz, in Biographies of Western Photographers (1997), states that Towne's studio "became one of the premier galleries in Portland, employing many of the best photographers in the area" and that it "published boudoir format scenes of Alaska, the Columbia River, Mount Hood, and other Northwest scenes."
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Except for one photograph of the Chilkoot Pass, this set of 20 photographs appears to have been taken by Towne during the period 1884-1887. The majority of the images are outdoor scenes, produced on "Boudoir Cards", from southeastern Alaska, Portland and Mount Hood in Oregon, and Mount Shasta in northern California. Several Alaskan images of Chilkoot Pass and the Muir Glacier (Glacier Bay) are natural scenes, while the rest are of settlements and/or people in Sitka and Howkan, including images of Tlingit Native Americans tending to everyday responsibilities, such as drying fish and selling berries. Towne is known to have taken a trip to Alaska in 1887, and many of the photos appear to have been taken during that trip. The collection also includes three portraits taken by Towne, and one boudoir card photograph album of "Portland, Or. Souvenir Photographs."
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
View the digital version of the collection
Restrictions on Use
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for detail.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
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AlaskaReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
1 | 1 |
Chilkoot
Pass Caption on verso: Chilcoot Pass, ca. 1898, Gen. T.M. Anderson in
Alaska, 1897-1898.
|
circa 1898 |
1 | 2-3 | 1887 | |
1 | 4-5 | 1887 | |
1 | 6 | undated | |
1 | 7 |
Tlingit Indians
tending to canoe and fish on drying racks in front of houses, Sitka (Towne 209)
Caption on photo: Scene in Indian Town
|
1887 |
1 | 8 |
Tlingit women
selling salmonberries along planked sidewalk, Sitka (Towne 54) Caption on verso: Salmon berries for sale.
|
1887 |
1 | 9 |
Tlingit women
sitting in Indian River Road, Sitka (Towne 11) Caption on verso: Indian river road "Sitka."
|
undated |
1 | 10 | undated | |
1 | 11 |
Two Haida totem
poles, Howkan, Long Island (Towne 57) Caption on verso: Twin Totems, Howkan
|
1887 |
Oregon / CaliforniaReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
2 | 12 | 1887 | |
2 | 13 | 1887 | |
2 | 14 | 1887 | |
2 | 15 |
Two men with
backpacks and hiking staffs climbing Mount Hood, Oregon (Towne 193) Caption on verso: Crater Rock, Mt. Hood.
|
1887 |
2 | 16 | 1887 | |
2 | 17 | undated |
PortraitsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
3 | 18 | 1887 | |
3 | 19 |
"Cousin
Charlie," Mizner family Towne & Moore (photographer)
|
circa 1884-1887 |
3 | 20 | circa 1884-1887 |
AlbumReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Folder | item | ||
4 | 21 |
Album cover for boudoir size photographs Title on album: Portland, Or. Souvenir Photographs.The photographs (items 2-5, 7-8, 11-16) were originally
contained in this boudoir size card photograph album.
|
1887 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Mountains--West (U.S.)--Photographs
- Tlingit Indians--Photographs
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
Personal Names
- Towne, Bertram C
Geographical Names
- Hood, Mount (Or.)--Photographs
- Sitka (Alaska)--Photographs
Form or Genre Terms
- Boudoir card photographs