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Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition photograph collection, 1908-1909

Overview of the Collection

Collector
University of Washington. Libraries. Special Collections Division
Title
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition photograph collection
Dates
1908-1909 (inclusive)
Quantity
95 photographs and prints (1 box and 7 folders) ; sizes vary
Collection Number
PH0792
Summary
Photographs of the buildings, grounds and events of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
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

Selections from the collection can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view the originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Historical Background

The 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE) held in Seattle, Washington, was the spectacular result of nearly 10 million dollars and four years of effort. The Klondike Gold Rush made Seattle the dominant city in the Pacific Northwest, as the major supplier to Alaska. The goal of the 1909 AYPE was to show off the growth and development of the Pacific Northwest, specifically Seattle, and to display the value of commercial trade with the Pacific Rim. When Japan agreed to participate, the AYPE became a truly international, multi-cultural event, which planners of the AYPE hoped would demonstrate cooperation between people from around the world. On a less philosophical level, city officials also hoped that the exposition would encourage people to relocate to the growing metropolis of Seattle.

Officials soon decided on the largely wooded grounds of the University of Washington, situated on Lake Washington, with Mount Rainier visible in the distance. The first $650,000 for the AYPE was raised by proud Seattleites, who bought "shares" of the exposition. Much of the rest was funded by the sale of public lands and by the Washington State legislature, with the understanding that the buildings built for the exposition would become part of the University of Washington at the end of the AYPE. John and Frederick Olmsted, son and stepson of Frederick Law Olmsted, prominent landscape architects in their own right, designed much of the AYPE grounds.

Thanks to two years of planning and the huge sums of money raised, the AYPE grounds and exposition were everything the planners had hoped for. It was a fascinating mix of ethnic diversity and crass commercialism, but it clearly appealed to the people of the United States. Over 80,000 people attended the AYPE on opening day in June 1909, and by closing day (October 16, 1909) 3.7 million people had paid to see attractions such as the Igorrote Village, and the Indian and Eskimo exhibits.

Although the Exposition boasted its own official photographer, amateur photographers could purchase a paper permit, allowing access for one day. With the day pass, an amateur photographer with a camera smaller than 6 x 8 inches was allowed to take unlimited photographs of the buildings, exhibits and other features. In February, 1909, newspaper articles encouraged Seattle residents to take photographs of the construction and send them "back home" to people outside the city as incentive to attend the upcoming Exposition.

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Content Description

Photographs of the buildings, events, ephemera, exhibits, grounds and visitors to the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exhibition.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format

Restrictions on Use

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

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Administrative Information

Processing Note

Processed by Marion Brown, 2008; Don Romero, 2013

Transferred from the University of Washington subject file in 2007.

2 photographic prints transferred from the Seattle Subject File, 2016.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Exhibitions--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
  • Farm produce--Exhibitions--Photographs
  • Tourists--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)

Corporate Names

  • Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909 : Seattle, Wash.)--Aerial views
  • Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909 : Seattle, Wash.)--Buildings--Photographs
  • Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909 : Seattle, Wash.)--Photographs


2013 (Last modified: 2/16/2024)

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