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Helen Ford collection of T. Enami photographs, circa 1925-1935
Overview of the Collection
- Collector
- Ford, Helen Louise
- Title
- Helen Ford collection of T. Enami photographs
- Dates
- circa 1925-1935 (inclusive)19251935
- Quantity
- 384 lantern slides (11 boxes)
- Collection Number
- PH0570
- Summary
- Hand-colored lantern slides of Japan by T. Enami studio
- 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
The collection is open to the public.
- Additional Reference Guides
A complete typewritten inventory to the collection is available in the repository.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Helen Louise Ford (1877?-1957) was a wealthy San Francisco socialite married to George Kidwell Ford. Mrs. Ford traveled the world during the late 1920s and 1930s.
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
Enami Nobukuni (1859-1929) was a professional photographer in Yokohama, Kanagawa. Nobukuni apprenticed under Ogawa Isshin, one of Japan's pioneer photographers who helped introduce dry-plate technology to Japan. Enami had a studio on Benten-dori street in Yokohama from 1892-1929. The studio sold scenic views of Japan and portraits of Japanese to tourists, in the form of souvenir photo albums, stereographs, hand-colored lantern slides and prints. Enami also opened studios in Hong Kong and the Philippines, and his images were published and sold abroad, though often not attributed to him.
The name T. Enami is believed to be a trade name used by Nobukuni which also suited the studio after it was taken over by his son Tamotsu; though not a photographer himself, Tamotsu operated the studio until 1945, when the studio was destroyed by American bombings of Yokohama.
Enami has been underrated by photo historians; only recently is his importance as a photographer being realized.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection of hand-colored glass slides of Japan was assembled by Mrs. Helen Ford. Mrs. Ford traveled the world during the late 1920s and 1930s and first visited Japan in the Spring of 1933 on Theodore Rothman's world tour aboard the Resolute . She returned to Japan the following summer. The bulk of the slides she assembled are ready made tourist photos of Japan and a few images made of Mrs. Ford and some of her traveling companions. Almost all were made by the T. Enami studio. The remainder were produced by Edward Henry Kemp of San Francisco and Bruno Parth of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Ford used the slides and film for presentations to her society circles in the San Francisco Bay area. The images include scenes of Mt. Fuji, cherry blossoms, geishas, and other traditional scenes along with many showing people at work and in domestic situations. The slide collection is accompanied by the manuscripts and typescripts of travelogues. In addition to Japan, there are four boxes (Boxes 7-10) that contain slides from other localities in Asia.
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
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description |
|---|---|
| Box | |
| 1 | Japan. Hand-colored glass lantern slides. Nos 1-1 to 1-279 |
| 2 | Japan. Hand-colored glass lantern slides. Nos. 1-282 to 1-677 |
| 3 | Japan. Hand-colored glass lantern slides. Nos. 2-7 to 2-718 |
| 4 | Japan. Hand-colored glass lantern slides. Nos. 3-5 to 3-182 |
| 5 | Japan. Hand-colored glass lantern slides. Nos. 3-184a to 3-442 |
| 6 | Japan. Hand-colored glass lantern slides. Nos. 3-451 to 3-659 |
| 7 | India. Hand-colored glass lantern slides |
| 8 | India. Hand-colored glass lantern slides |
| 9 | Indonesia or Malaysia. Hand-colored glass lantern slides |
| 10 | China, Egypt, Philippines, Bali, Thailand. Hand-colored glass lantern slides |
| 11 | Travelogue manuscripts and typescripts prepared by Mrs. Helen Ford as travelogues for use in presentations to various groups in San Francisco; collection appraisal and inventory. |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Personal Names
- Enami, T., 1859-1929--Archives
- Enami, T., 1859-1929--Photographs
Geographical Names
- Japan--Description and travel--Photographs
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Enami, T., 1859-1929 (photographer)
- Kemp, Edward Henry (photographer)
- Parth, Bruno (photographer)
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
