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Joe Karpen photographs, 1968-1972

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Karpen, Joseph
Title
Joe Karpen photographs
Dates
1968-1972 (inclusive)
Quantity
2 boxes of prints (Boxes 1-2), 2 boxes of oversize prints (Boxes 3-4) and 5 boxes of negatives (Boxes 5-9)
Collection Number
PH1191
Summary
Photographic prints, negatives, and color slides of protests and student life at the University of Washington
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

Selected images can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials curator required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Joe Karpen (June 6, 1950-) was born and raised in Long Island, NY. His parents were Morris and Leah Karpen. Joe Karpen was a student at the University of Washington in the late 1960s and early 1970s where he earned degrees in mathematics and oceanography. During his time at UW, Karpen was a photographer for The Daily newspaper and the TYEE yearbook where among the subjects he photographed protests and demonstrations that took place on campus and throughout Seattle. In his senior year at UW, Karpen decided to continue photography as a hobby, rather than a vocation. Karpen also earned degrees in meteorology from MIT and in engineering from North Carolina State University.

Karpen worked in design, programming, and oceanographic field work for an engineering firm in Raleigh, North Carolina for seven years. After that, he worked at Karpen Steel, the family door manufacturing business started in North Carolina by Morris Karpen. Karpen worked as Operations Manager at Karpen Steel for over 20 years until his retirement in 2005.

Karpen’s first experience with photography was learning to develop film at summer camp when he was 8. His first camera was a Kodak folding camera. In high school, Karpen was a photographer for the school newspaper and yearbook. During that time, he used a Canon Rangefinder camera. He bought his first Leica camera in 1968.

At the University of Washington, Karpen became involved as a photographer for The Daily and TYEE yearbook in his first year. Karpen said that he always had a camera with him. As a photographer, he was always an observer, watching, but not being part of what was happening. The photography advisor at UW, Dick Conrad, guided and encouraged Karpen and the rest of the staff to experiment. Karpen never took any formal photography classes but did audit a studio class for art students one semester.

During his time at UW, Karpen made nearly all of his photographs in black and white using Tri-X film which was exposed at ASA 640 and overdeveloped to add contrast. He and other photography staff used 100-foot rolls of film which they rolled themselves. With the Seattle weather, a light meter was not needed. Karpen kept the aperture setting at f11 and shutter speed at 1/125 unless the sun was out.

Karpen’s current photographic interests are contemporary dance and travel. He still uses Tri-X film which he develops and prints himself. He has added several film cameras to his photography equipment including a Leica M-6, a Canon underwater camera and a Pentax SLR, as well as a 28mm lens.

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Content Description

Photographic prints, negatives, and color slides made by the photographer while at the University of Washington. Many of the photographs record the protests happening on the campus and in Seattle. There are also scenes of campus life, sports, residence halls, sororities and fraternities, student groups and events, oceanographic cruises, etc. Many of the photographs taken by Karpen were for the TYEE yearbook and for The Daily campus newspaper, as Karpen was a staff photographer for both publications.

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Other Descriptive Information

Items represent contact sheets of negatives, showing multiple images. Individual images are denoted by a frame number following the item number (e.g. 27F35 denotes frame 35 of contact sheet 27).

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format

Restrictions on Use

Creator's copyright transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donor: Joe Karpen, November 19, 2009, September 5, 2019, September 24, 2019, and October 23, 2019.

Processing Note

Processed by Kelly Omodt, 2018. Additional processing and revision by Kate Norgon, 2020.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • College sports--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
  • College students--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
  • Protests (Negotiable instruments)--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)

Corporate Names

  • University of Washington--Buildings--Photographs
  • University of Washington--Photographs
  • University of Washington--Sports--Photographs
  • University of Washington--Students--Photographs


2016 (Last modified: 9/15/2023)

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