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Thomas H. Rutter photograph collection, 1888-1900

Overview of the Collection

Photographer
Rutter, Thomas H., 1837-1925
Title
Thomas H. Rutter photograph collection
Dates
1888-1900 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.19 cubic feet (1 box and 1 oversize folder containing 20 photographic prints)
Collection Number
PH0287
Summary
Photographs of Tacoma, Washington, surrounding Puget Sound areas and portraits of Yakima Indians
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

The collection is open to the public.

Request at UW

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Thomas H. Rutter was born on January 1, 1837 in Truro, Cornwall, England and worked as a veterinarian before immigrating to the United States. During the Civil war, in July, 1861, he enlisted in Company M of the 1st New York Cavalry as a farrier. He was honorably discharged by February 1862 because of a disability. Enticed by reports of a gold rush, he moved to the Montana Territory in 1864 and established mining claims in and around Bannack, Butte, Highland and Last Chance Gulch, Montana.

By 1867, Rutter became fascinated with the art of photography and started a photography studio with R. J. Nesbitt in Glendale, Montana. In 1870, Rutter opened his own studio in Butte, Montana as "Thomas H. Rutter, Portrait and Landscape Photographer." He married Lydia Lymburner of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 26, 1882 in Butte.

Rutter and his wife moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1888, where he opened a photography studio on 1346 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma. He operated the Tacoma studio until 1900, when he moved to North Yakima where he worked as a photographer until at least 1906 and possibly longer. During his time in Tacoma and Yakima, Rutter photographed the city, as well as the surrounding area and most notably the members of Yakima Indian tribe. He apparently sold off most or all of his negatives before his death. Some of his photographs were incorporated with other photographers' work and are not attributed to Rutter.

In 1915 Rutter and his wife moved to the Veteran’s Home in Orting, Washington where they remained until their deaths. Rutter died on August 21, 1925 at the age of eighty-eight.

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Content Description

The collection consists of images of Tacoma, Washington including ships at dock in the harbor and buildings, as well as logging in the surrounding Puget Sound area and portraits of Yakima Indians.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

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

Alternative Forms Available

View most of this collection on the UW Libraries' Digital Collections site.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged in 4 series.

  • Tacoma, Washington
  • Puget Sound, Washington
  • Yakima Indian portraits
  • Portraits

Acquisition Information

Gifts from: C. Bagley, 1959; Doug McDonnell, no date; E. B. Meany; no date; and Dorothy Wills, no date.

Processing Note

Processed by Liam McDonnell, 2005, Megan Peacock, 2006; processing completed in 2006.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 


2008 (Last modified: 5/7/2025)

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