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Wilhelm Hester photographs, approximately 1893-1911

Overview of the Collection

Photographer
Hester, Wilhelm, 1872-1947
Title
Wilhelm Hester photographs
Dates
approximately 1893-1911 (inclusive)
Quantity
1200 photographic prints : black and white ; various sizes, 82 negatives : glass ; various sizes, 6 negatives : nitrate film ; 4 x 5 in.
Collection Number
PH0318
Summary
Photographs of the marine shipping industry on Puget Sound; of a visit to Alaska; and Seattle and Tacoma views
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

Permission required to view fragile original prints and nitrate negatives. Access copy prints and photocopies are available for selected images.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Wilhelm Hester was born in Germany in 1872, and moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1893 with his brother Ernst. There he photographed the tall ships that sailed the Northwest coast loading lumber and grain for markets abroad. Operating from studios in Seattle and Tacoma, he established a commercially successful business by taking and selling photographs of ships from around the world and their crews at various Puget Sound ports, often offering them as souvenirs to the sailors themselves. Many of the photographs depict ships in the ports of Seattle, Tacoma, and Port Blakely, and reveal details of ships' decks, ship construction and rigging, interior views of masters' salons and cabins, the faces of the ships' captains and their families, and sailors from Britain, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and France. In 1898, Hester joined the throngs of gold seekers heading to the Klondike. His mining claims at Anvil Creek and Snow Creek in Alaska - in addition to other business ventures - earned him a tidy profit, and he returned to the Puget Sound area in 1899 to resume his commercial photography career. Some of his Alaskan photographs show that he must have returned to the Nome, Alaska vicinity around 1900 to take additional documentary photographs of the region.

He retired from the photography business in about 1905 or 1906 to pursue real estate speculation, only occasionally taking photographs in subsequent years. In his retirement he lived in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. He died in Seattle in 1947.

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Content Description

Between 1893 and 1906 Wilhelm Hester documented both the maritime activities of the Puget Sound Region and his time spent in Yukon Territory and Alaska during the gold rush of 1898. He left a remarkable collection of early photos of Nome, Alaska and the surrounding region and a valuable record for the history of ships and shipping in Washington state. The collection documents the marine shipping industry on Puget Sound in Washington State, including sailing ships and steamboats, their crews, the loading of lumber onto vessels and maritime views of Puget Sound. Also included in the collection are: photographs from his brief visit to Yukon Territory and Alaska in 1898-1900 (includes views of Nome, Caribou, Ketchikan, Juneau, White Horse and Teller City); other miscellaneous subjects such as Seattle and Tacoma views, logging, Scenic Hot Springs Hotel, and the Pleasant Beach Hotel (Bainbridge Island); and San Francisco's China Town.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format.

Restrictions on Use

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

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged in 6 series.

  • Ships and Crews
  • Alaska
  • Chinatown, San Francisco
  • Europe and other locations
  • Photos possibly collected by Hester, but not made by Hester

Processing Note

Numbers in brackets reference a numbering system originally assigned to Hester photographs by Special Collections. These should not be confused with numbers assigned by Hester to his negatives, and which are found on selected photographs. Current item numbers were assigned during re-processing; some items may not be arranged sequentially.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
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