Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Soroptimist International of Seattle Metropolitan photograph collection, approximately 1925-2000
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Soroptimist International of Seattle Metropolitan
- Title
- Soroptimist International of Seattle Metropolitan photograph collection
- Dates
- approximately 1925-2000 (inclusive)19252000
- Quantity
- 3 photograph albums, 3 scrapbooks, 1 panoramic photograph (3 boxes, 1 oversize folder )
- Collection Number
- PH2017-033
- Summary
- Photographs, albums, scrapbooks, and documents related to Soroptimist activities and members
- 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.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Soroptimist International of Seattle-Metropolitan (SISM) was formed in October 1925, just a few years after the creation of the club's seminal branch. The club's membership consists of women who are CEOs or executives, or who hold another significant leadership position within a company. The primary goal of the club is civic improvement, particularly of the lives of women and girls around the world. Significant achievements of the Seattle Metropolitan branch include the Women's Opportunity Awards, the Violet Richardson Award, and efforts to end human trafficking. Soroptimist International of Seattle Metropolitan is still in operation, and the organization as a whole has over 1,300 clubs worldwide.
Historical BackgroundReturn to Top
SISM founders include many accomplished women, including Bertha Knight Landes and Ella E. Mc Bride. Landes, the second federation president, became one of Seattle’s first two councilwomen in 1922, served two terms and was inaugurated mayor of Seattle in 1926. In one of her moments in the spotlight as mayor, she welcomed Charles Lindbergh to Sand Point Air Field on September 14, 1927. Landes served as president of the Seattle Soroptimist Club from 1930-1934 and died shortly thereafter in 1944.
McBride was the President of the Seattle Soroptimist Club in 1938. An avid mountain climber, she visited Mount Rainier with a group of climbers including the photographers, Asahel and Edward Curtis. During this trip, Edward encouraged her to move to Seattle to run his photography studio. She left her first successful career as principal of Ainsworth School in Portland, Oregon in 1907 and came to Seattle to be Edward Curtis’s business manager. After several years working for Curtis’s Studio, she started her own portrait studio in downtown Seattle which she ran for more than 30 years. Her work has been exhibited around the world and her portrait subjects included famous and not so famous. In the 1950s, she photographed many members of the Soroptimist Seattle Club. Ella McBride died in 1965 at the astonishing age of 103.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Photographs of Soroptimist activities and members including photographs taken at annual or biennial conventions, portraits, also photocopied portraits of early club members, newspaper clippings, press clippings, and assorted ephemeral materials relating to various club activities
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The copyrights owned by the organization transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections, however they do not own all of the copyrights to the materials. Restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Donor: Shaughn FitzGerald, SISM President, 2013-2014, January 31, 2014.
Separated Materials
Material Described Separately:Soroptimist International of Seattle Metropolitan Records (Mss Coll 5808)
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box | ||
1 | Soroptimist Photo
Albums Album 1 and Album 2: 11th Biennial Convention American Federation
of Soroptimist Clubs July 2-7, 1950 Seattle. Album 3: Soroptimist International Northwestern Region District I,
34th Annual Meeting Oct 11-12, 1987 Bremerton, WA. Portraits of Soroptimist members, activities, newspaper clippings
and press.
|
1926-1999 |
2 | Soroptimist Scrapbooks Soroptimist Club of Seattle scrapbook, 1925-1934. Untitled
scrapbook, 1950-1952.
|
1925-1952 |
box:oversize | ||
3 | Soroptimist Scrapbook and
photos Soroptimist Club of Seattle scrapbook, 1925-1931.
|
1925-1931 |
folder:oversize | ||
4 | Soroptimist International
Association, 11th Biennial Convention 14 oversize photographsSoroptimist Club of Hungary- Letter of appreciation, 1947.
|
1925-1950 |
hanging_object | ||
P1 | Soroptimist International of
Americas 29th Biennial Convention 1 panoramic photograph
|
1986 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Nonprofit organizations--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
- Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
- Women--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
Corporate Names
- Soroptimist International of Seattle Metropolitan--Archives
- Soroptimist International of Seattle Metropolitan--Membership--Photographs