Bertram C. Towne photographs

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

Custodial History

Photographs18-20 were originally from the S.L. Crawford Collection.

Acquisition Information

Source: 12 photographs, 1 album, Joan Perkal Books, 1980; PH Coll 502.1, gift of Charles Gould;

Processing Note

Processed by James Foti, 2002 and Jordan Grimmer, August 2011.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

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	Muir Glacier, Glacier Bay (Towne 178 & Towne 179)	1887
1	4-5	Harbor and waterfront, Sitka (Towne 1 & Towne 9)	1887
1	6	Tlingit village, Sitka	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	Indian River Falls viewed from downriver, below footbridge, Sitka (Towne 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	Portland, Oregon, with Mount Hood in background (Towne 17)	1887
2	13	Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River, Oregon (Towne 227)	1887
2	14	Group of men with backpacks, hiking staffs, and horses, Mount Hood, Oregon (Towne 195)	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	Houses, livery stable, barns, and Mount Shasta, California (Towne 250)	1887
2	17	Salmon wheel on Columbia River	undated

PortraitsReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Folder	item
3	18	Thomas Keogh	1887
3	19	"Cousin Charlie," Mizner family Towne & Moore (photographer)	circa 1884-1887
3	20	Captain Frank North	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

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