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Tacoma Swedish Singing Group Photograph Album, approximately 1909-1929

Overview of the Collection

Title
Tacoma Swedish Singing Group Photograph Album
Dates
approximately 1909-1929 (inclusive)
Quantity
181 photographic prints in 1 album (1 box) ; sizes vary
Collection Number
PH1137
Summary
Photograph album containing photogaphs of members of a Swedish singing group who resided in and traveled throughout the Pacific Northwest
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

Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Nils Algot Högberg (1886-1962), the apparent owner of the photograph album, was born in Luleå, Sweden in 1886, and arrived in the United States in 1906. He lived in various locations, including Tacoma around 1912, and Butte, Montana probably around 1915 or 1916, where worked in a hardware store for $90 a month and studied "Christian science and spiritualism." In Portland, Oregon, he studied to be a dentist, earning his degree in 1919. He opened a dental practice in Onalaska, Washington, "stayed there one year and made very good money," sold his practice and married 19-year-old Lucille Mayea in 1921, returning home to Luleå, Sweden with his new wife. Some time between 1921 and 1930 he returned to Washington. By 1930, he was living in Chehalis, Washington with Lucille and their son Daniel, and continuing to practice dentistry. Högberg was a member of the Thule Male Chorus of Tacoma some time between 1909 and 1929. He married Thelma Boggs Wesenberg in 1938, and died in June 1962 in Chehalis.

Much of this biographical information is from Högberg's 1921 correspondence with Karl Gunnar Karlsson, provided courtesty of his grandson Anders Karlsson.

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Historical Background

Swedes who migrated to the Pacific Northwest are believed to have first settled in Powell Valley and Eastern Portland, taking fishing jobs on the Columbia River. It has been noted that there was an affinity between the Swedish landscape and the environment of the Pacific Northwest, making the transition a reassuring one for those who made the latter their home. Around the 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a major Scandinavian migration that included people from Sweden, and circa 1909 there was a considerable Swedish population in Seattle. The Swedes brought with them a rich musical tradition that was explored through choir groups, organizations, and events that took place along the west coast of the United States. In particular, the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition included a Swedish Day on July 31st of that year. It featured speeches, songs, banquets, and musical programs that showcased Swedish singing traditions. There were a number of Swedish singing groups in the Pacific Northwest, and these included the American Union of Swedish Singers (AUSS), organized in 1892 as the umbrella organization for individual Swedish choirs, the American Union of Swedish Singers Pacific Coast Division, Svea, Swedish Glee Club, Tacoma Swedish Quartet, Thule Male Chorus of Tacoma, United Swedish Singers of the Pacific Coast, and Vasa Male Chorus. In addition, festivals took place around the early 1900s through the 1929, in places such as Everett, WA, Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Tacoma, WA.

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Content Description

Photograph album containing photogaphs of members of a Swedish singing group, probably the Thule Male Chorus of Tacoma, who resided in and traveled throughout the Pacific Northwest. The noted dates range between ca.1909 - ca.1920, and the noted areas include parts of Burton, WA, Butte, MT, Cordova, AK, Forsyth, MT, Portland, OR, Tacoma, WA, and Vancouver, B.C. The album was most likely a personal photo collection of Nils Algot Högberg.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View the digital version of the collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyrights unknown. Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Source: Fairlook Antiques, February, 20, 2015.

Processing Note

Processed by Sara Cordes, 2017, Erin Cote, 2018.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

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Subject Terms

  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)


2018 (Last modified: 7/8/2024)

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