Sigurd and Ingrith Olsen papers and photographs, circa 1960-1980

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Olsen, Sigurd
Title
Sigurd and Ingrith Olsen papers and photographs
Dates
circa 1960-1980 (inclusive)
Quantity
10.61 cubic feet (21 boxes)
Collection Number
PH2016-010
Summary
Biological research photographs, personal photographs, field and research notes, and personal papers of University of Washington professors Sigurd and Ingrith Olsen
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

Open to all users.

Records stored off site; advance notice required for use.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Sigurd Olsen

Sigurd Otto Maglegaard Olsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1908. Economic pressures forced him to leave school at 15 and he began a career in the Department of Social Welfare in Copenhagen. Unable to pursue a formal university education, he worked in his spare hours in botany and biology, specializing in limnology. The University of Copenhagen recognized his contributions to the field in 1939, awarding him the gold medal in botany for his major study of charophytes published through the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences. He continued to be affiliated with the University of Copenhagen until he married Ingrith Deyrup and emigrated to the United States in 1963.

For the next seven years, he worked as a biologist and research assistant professor in the School of Fisheries at the University of Washington. After his retirement in 1970, he devoted himself full time to biological studies and photography, developing techniques for capturing subjects too large for photomicrography, but too small for standard photography. Much of his scientific work was carried out at Bear Lake on the Kitsap Peninsula and focused on the ground cone Boschniakia hookeri. He died in 1980.

Ingrith Deyrup-Olsen

Ingrith Deyrup-Olsen was born in 1919 in Englewood, N.J. She earned a bachelor's degree in zoology from Barnard College (1940), a doctorate in physiology from Columbia (1944), and joined the UW faculty as a professor of zoology in 1964. Popularly known as the "slug lady," Deyrup-Olsen studied mucus secrection, in particular how slugs use mucus in transportation. She created the UW's Master of Science for Biology Teachers program to improve the teaching of science in secondary schools. She was also a founder of the UW's Women Studies Program. In 1988, Ingrith received the UW's Distinguished Teaching Award. She retired in 1990 and died in 2004.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Biological research photographs, both field and laboratory, of University of Washington professors Sigurd and Ingrith Olsen. The photographs include landscapes (Washington, Wisconsin, Yellowstone, and Norway), waterscapes, macro images of flora and fauna specimens, as well as images of cameras, laboratories, and equipment. While many of the photographs are likely from research trips, there are also many personal snapshots, primarily of Ingrith Olsen. Field and research notes and personal papers are also included.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Preservation Note

Records stored off site; advance notice required for use.

Acquisition Information

Candace Waugaman, 2007-01-11 and 2007-01-18.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Animals--Photographs
  • Botany--Sources
  • Laboratories--Equipment and supplies--Photographs
  • Laboratories--Photographs
  • Landscapes--Photographs
  • Plants--Photographs
  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
  • Zoology--Sources

Personal Names

  • Deyrup-Olsen, Ingrith--Archives
  • Deyrup-Olsen, Ingrith--Photographs
  • Olsen, Sigurd,--Archives

Corporate Names

  • University of Washington--Faculty
  • University of Washington. School of Fisheries

Geographical Names

  • Norway--Photographs
  • Washington (State)--Photographs
  • Wisconsin--Photographs
  • Yellowstone National Park--Photographs

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Deyrup-Olsen, Ingrith, (creator)