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Beverly B. Dobbs photographs, approximately 1900-1912

Overview of the Collection

Photographer
Dobbs, B. B. (Beverly Bennett)
Title
Beverly B. Dobbs photographs
Dates
approximately 1900-1912 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 boxes (62 photographic prints and 1 album of 60 photographic prints)
Collection Number
PH0323
Summary
Photographs by Beverly B. Dobbs documenting Nome, Alaska, including town scenes, high school basketball teams, the gold mining industry and the Iñupiat people
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 is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

The son of a farmer, Beverly Bennett Dobbs was born in 1868 near Marshall, Missouri. At age 8, he moved with his parents to Lincoln, Neb., where he learned photography. In 1888, Dobbs moved to Bellingham, Wash., and operated a photography studio for 12 years, including a partnership in 1890-1891 with F.F. Fleming under the name Dobbs & Fleming. He married Dorothy Sturgeon of Bellingham in 1896, then moved to Nome, Alaska, in search of gold in 1900. Dobbs continued to earn his living as a photographer, and by 1903, he had formed a partnership with the photographer A.B. Kinne from San Francisco. The Dobbs & Kinne studio in Nome offered photography services and photo supplies. Dobbs photographed scenes in Nome and the Seward Peninsula and made portraits of Eskimo people (Eskimos). He was awarded a gold medal at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis World’s Fair) in 1904 for his Eskimo photographs.

By about 1909, Dobbs had started Dobbs Alaska Moving Picture Co., making him one of the first to use motion picture film north of the Arctic Circle. He made a name for himself as a filmmaker with Atop of the World in Motion (also called Top of the World in Motion ), a collection of his motion picture travelogues detailing the Alaska gold rush. By 1911, it is probable that Dobbs was focusing only on his moving picture business; he no longer had his photography supply store, and had sold his photography negatives to the Lomen Brothers, who later issued some of his work under their name. By 1914, Dobbs had returned to Seattle and was managing the Dobbs Totem Film Company. He is listed as the cinematographer for A Romance of Seattle , a film shot in and around Seattle in 1919. In his later years he specialized in developing motion picture films in his studio at his home. During the 1930s, Dobbs photographed the fish processing operations at Pacific American Fisheries (PAF) in the Fairhaven area of Bellingham. He died at age 69 in 1937.

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Content Description

Photographs documenting gold-mining scenes, town views, youth basketball teams, and Iñupiat culture in and around Nome, Alaska, in the early years of the 20th century. There are also photographs depicting the activities of the Pioneer Mining Company and the Hot Air Mining Company. All the photographs were made by Beverly Dobbs, although some were later signed by the Lomen Brothers.

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Use of the Collection

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 details.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged in 7 series.

  • Album of Nome and Vicinity
  • Nome, Alaska
  • Gold Mining Around Nome
  • Youth Basketball Teams in Nome, Alaska
  • Alaska Native Domestic Scenes
  • Iñupiat Men
  • Iñupiat Women and Children

Acquisition Information

Album: Source, Michael Maslan, July 1992.

Photographic prints: Source unknown.

Processing Note

Processed by Linda Corets, 2004.

Revised by Stefanie Terasaki, 2015.

Title of some images revised to align with harmful language guidelines. Revison completed by G. Mandarino, 2023.

Bibliography

Dobbs's work is featured prominently in E.S. Harrison , Nome and Seward Peninsula: History, Description, Biographies and Stories (Seattle: E.S. Harrison, 1905).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Basketball players--Alaska--Nome--Photographs
  • Basketball teams--Alaska--Nome--Photographs
  • Eskimo--Alaska--Photographs
  • Eskimo--Alaska--Social life and customs
  • Gold mines and mining--Alaska--Nome--Photographs
  • Gold mines and mining--Alaska--Photographs
  • Gold rushes--Alaska--Nome--Photographs
  • Gold rushes--Alaska--Photographs
  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)

Personal Names

  • Dobbs, B. B. (Beverly Bennett)

Corporate Names

  • Hot Air Mining Company
  • Pioneer Mining Company

Geographical Names

  • Alaska--Gold discoveries
  • Nome (Alaska)--Gold discoveries
  • Nome (Alaska)--Photographs


2003 (Last modified: 8/11/2025)

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