Imogen Cunningham interviews and papers, 1915-1977

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Cunningham, Imogen, 1883-1976
Title
Imogen Cunningham interviews and papers
Dates
1915-1977 (inclusive)
Quantity
approximately .21 cubic feet plus 3 audio tape reels with transcripts (65 pages)
Collection Number
2645
Summary
Interviews and transcripts related to career as a photographer and opinions regarding various subjects of recipient of the UW Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus Award
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

No restrictions on access for paper-based materials. Transcripts are available for the interviews. No user access copies are available for the audio tapes. Users can obtain a reproduction of the audio tapes for a fee by contacting Special Collections.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Imogen Cunningham (April 12th, 1883 – June 23rd, 1976) was a United States photographer renowned for her botanical photography, nudes, and industrial landscapes. She was a member of Group f/64 (1932) which is known for sharp-focus rendition of simple photography subjects. She was born in Portland, Oregon, to Isaac Burns Cunningham and Susan Elizabeth (née Johnson) Cunningham as the fifth of 10 children. She took art lessons on weekends while she attended the Denny School in Seattle, Washington. Imogen bought her first camera at the age of 18 in 1901. Two years later she attended the University of Washington and graduated in 1907 with a degree in chemistry. She went on to work for Edward Sheriff Curtis (February 16th, 1869 – October 19th, 1952) at his photography studio where she helped him to document Native American tribes for his book, The North American Indian, first published in 1907. In 1909 she studied in Dresden, Germany, for a year before returning to Seattle to open her own studio. She caused a scandal after publishing nude pictures of her artist friend George Roy Partridge (October 14th, 1888 – January 25th, 1984), who she married in 1915, in the Town Crier newspaper. The couple had three children and moved to San Francisco, California, in 1920 where Imogen focused on botanical photographs and later on industrial landscapes. She divorced her husband in 1934 after accepting an invite to travel to New York to work for Vanity Fair. In the 1940s she turned to street photography as a side project to her commercial and studio photography. In 1945 she became a faculty member for the California School of Fine Arts art photography department. Imogen went on to teach photography until her death in 1976. Two years prior in 1974 she appeared in a famous photograph by Judy Dater (b. June 21st, 1941) depicting her with the renowned nude model, Twinka Thiebaud, in Imogen and Twinka at Yosemite.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Interviews with Imogen Cunningham. Also contains some biographical information, correspondence, ephemera and photographs.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries for accession 2645-001 and 2645-002. Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries for accession 2645-003.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Organized into 3 accessions.

  • Accession No. 2645-001, Oral history interview with Imogen Cunningham, 1974
  • Accession No. 2645-002, Imogen Cunningham interview, 1974
  • Accession No. 2645-003, Imogen Cunningham interview and papers, 1964-1977

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Accession No. 2645-001: Oral history interview with Imogen Cunningham, 1974Return to Top

2 reel to reel audio tapes (1.5 hours each) plus transcript (47 pages)

Scope and Content: Tape recorded interview with transcript.

Subjects of interview include biographical material and philosophical discussions about photography.

Restrictions on Access: No restrictions on access to the transcript. No user access copy is currently available for the audio tapes. Users may obtain a reproduction of the audio tapes for a fee by contacting Special Collections.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Walter Simon, interviewer, 1974-06-01.

Accession No. 2645-002: Imogen Cunningham interview, 1974Return to Top

1 reel to reel tape (1.25 hours) plus transcript (18 pages)

Scope and Content: Tape recorded news conference and transcript. Interview conducted by Diane Sichell and includes questions by many unidentified press members.

Interview conducted with Cunningham as recipient of the Alumnus Summa Laude Dignatus Award from the University of Washington.

Questions cover development of Cunningham's career as a photographer and her opinions regarding various subjects.

Restrictions on Access: No restrictions on access to the transcript. No user access copy is currently available for the audio tape. Users may obtain a reproduction of the audio tape for a fee by contacting Special Collections.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: James O. Sneddon, 1974-06-13

Accession No. 2645-003: Imogen Cunningham interview and papers, 1915-1977 (bulk 1964-1977)Return to Top

.21 cubic feet (1 box)

Scope and Content: Transcript of interview done by Walter Simon on KPFA in approximately 1973. Also included are biographical features, correspondence, gallery notices, exhibition catalogs, photographs, and clippings.

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Archives of Northwest Art, 1983-01-01

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder Accession
1/1 2645-003
Biographical Features
1973-1976
1/2 2645-003
Transcript of Interview
Scope and Content: Interviewer: Walter Simon
approximately 1973
1/3 2645-003
Incoming Letters
1966-1975
1/4 2645-003
Outgoing Letters
1967-1974
1/5 2645-003
General Correspondence regarding Cunningham
1966-1975
1/6 2645-003
Exhibition Notices
1972-1977
1/7-8 2645-003
Exhibition Catalogs
1964-1978
1/9 2645-003
Photographs of Cunningham
1974
1/10 2645-003
Photographs by Cunningham
1915-1972
1/11 2645-003
Clippings
1967-1977
1/12 2645-003
Ephemera
1970-1976

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
  • Photographers--United States
  • Photographers--United States--Biography
  • Photographers--United States--Interviews
  • Photographers--United States--Interviews
  • Photography--Philosophy
  • Women photographers--United States
  • Women photographers--United States--Biography
  • Women photographers--United States--Interviews

Personal Names

  • Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984
  • Arbus, Diane, 1923-1971
  • Bourke-White, Margaret, 1904-1971
  • Cartier-Bresson, Henri, 1908-2004
  • Cunningham, Imogen, 1883-1976--Archives
  • Cunningham, Imogen, 1883-1976--Interviews
  • Graves, Morris, 1910-2001
  • Kasebier, Gertrude, 1852-1934
  • Reed, Gervais
  • Roethke, Theodore, 1908-1963
  • Shahn, Ben, 1898-1969
  • Stevens, James, 1892-1971
  • Weegee, 1899-1968

Corporate Names

  • Bay Area Funeral Society
  • Friends of Photography
  • Henry Art Gallery
  • Life (magazine)
  • University of Washington Press

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Sichell, Dianne (Photographer) (interviewer)
    • Simon, Walter B (interviewer)