Archie E. Irwin Photographs and Glass Negatives of Elberton, WA

Archie E. Irwin Photographs and Glass Negatives of Elberton, WA, circa 1900s-1950s

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Irwin, Archie E., 1882-1962.
Title: Archie E. Irwin Photographs and Glass Negatives of Elberton, WA
Dates: circa 1900s-1950s (inclusive)
19001959
Quantity: 3 Linear feet of shelf space, (4 boxes), (426 items)
Collection Number: PC 119 (collection)
Summary: 426 photographs taken between 1900 and 1950 of family and locales in and around Elberton, Washington.
Repository: Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open and available for research use.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Archie E. Irwin (1882-1962) was a Whitman County native and amateur photographer who was employed variously as a surveyor, flour miller, carpenter, cement mason, and grain warehouseman. An article in Pacific Northwest Quarterly 69:4 (Oct. 1978, page 169-173) provides slightly more biographical information and some data about the photographs. While the collection is over 400 images, that article notes his collection as "over 100 glass negatives," so it is unclear if all the photographs acquired by MASC in 1988 are Archie Irwin's, or if some come from other sources.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

426 glass plate negatives and photographic prints, primarily taken between 1900 and 1950, in and around Elberton, Washington. The collection seems to be equally split among family portraits and other materials. Less than one quarter of the images are identified, and none appear to be dated.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Preferred Citation

[Item description] Archie E. Irwin Photographs and Glass Negatives of Elberton, WA, circa 1900s-1950s (PC 119)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The materials appear to be retained in their original order, but there appears to be no discernible reasoning behind that ordering. In general, the closer to the front of an item is, the more likely it is to have some identification. Box 1 is photographs mounted on backings. Boxes 2-3 are glass negatives, negatives, and prints; it appears that preservation prints were made at MASC from most of the glass negatives in the late 1990s, and those are filed with those negatives. Box 4 is a folder containing two oversized items.

Acquisition Information

Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) purchased this collection on May 7, 1988 from Larry L. Irwin of Monroe, WA. It was retained as MS1988-17.

Processing Note

The original intent was to separate the images from other materials, but an initial uncompleted processing (circa the late 1990s) kept the materials as one collection, PC 119. In 2016, the non-photographic images were removed and refiled under their original MS1988-17 designation. Materials were individually sleeved during processing. Note that when this was originally organized with the non-photo materials, those were folders 1-27. Rather than renumber everything, the collection was simply left missing numbers 1-27, and so is numbered from 28 to 453.

Separated Materials

One box of non-photographic materials were separated out and retained as MS1988-17.

Archives West Finding Aid

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