Alfred T. Renfro was born in Alabama on October 13, 1877. He was an artist, craftsman, editorial cartoonist and photographer. His cartoons and writings first appeared in the
Beaux Arts Village, a lakeside community near Bellevue, Washington, was originally established by several Seattle members of the Society of Beaux Arts, including Alfred Renfro, Frank Calvert and Finn Frolich. Alfred Renfro built the first home at Beaux Arts Village at what is now 2873 102nd Avenue S.E. and moved there with his family in 1909.
Alfred Renfro was married to Beatrice Plaskett (b.1886.) They had four children: Beverly (1906-1995), LaReine (1908-1995), Beatrice (1910-1998), and Alfred Jr. (1912-2008). Alfred T. Renfro died in Santa Barbara, California on September 8, 1964 at age 87. Beatrice Plaskett Renfro died in Santa Barbara on July 17, 1983.
The collection consists primarily of titled photograph albums containing 3”x4” black and white snapshots taken by Alfred T. Refro. Subject matter includes Beatrice Renfro and the four Renfro children, along with images of domestic life at Beaux Arts Village including home interiors, furnishings and landscaping. Several albums document family vacations and motor-touring in Washington, Oregon and California. Other albums include outdoor family recreational activities such as fishing, camping, skiing, hiking and scouting.
The 1901 Klondike trip album contains small photographs with pencil captions documenting wilderness scenery, transportation, shipping, towns and people during the Alaska Gold Rush.
The collection also includes Alfred Renfro’s 1901 personal diary with daily handwritten entries, including a detailed personal cash account and budget kept during his Alaska trip.
The Society of Beaux Arts was established to “develop art and its appreciation in the Northwest.” The Seattle members of the Society hoped to create a Northwest artist colony where they could live and work in a natural setting. In 1908, the Western Academy of Beaux Arts purchased a 50-acre isolated tract of forest land with 1,100 feet of Lake Washington shoreline to develop Beaux Arts Village. Ten acres in the center of the property was set aside for community outdoor recreation, art studios and craft workshops. At the time there was no electricity or phone service, and water had to be carried from the lake. The Beaux Arts ferry dock was at least 40 minutes from downtown Seattle.
Membership in the Western Academy of Beaux Arts sold for $200, making the holder eligible for a $250 reduction in the price of a lot. By 1916, there were still only 15 property owners living in the Village, although another 63 members held title to lots and could vote on Village business. A small strip of land on the north and south side of the Village was kept private property to prevent outsiders from using the waterfront as a public beach. The first one-room school house was founded at Beaux Arts in 1911, and two years later a four-room school was built on the grounds currently occupied by Enatai Elementary School, now part of the Bellevue School District. In 1917, electricity service provided just ten lights to the entire Village. Telephone service arrived in 1921 and sewers were not installed until 1965.
In an attempt to protect their property and lifestyle, the 304 residents managed to incorporate Beaux Arts Village as a separate town in 1954. Bellevue was rapidly expanding and the property owners wanted to guarantee they would not be annexed and the Village beach would remain private. Access to the beach is still available only to members of the Western Academy, which must approve any sale of Village property. Two governing bodies now administer the business of Beaux Arts Village: the Town Council and the Western Academy of Beaux Arts.
View selections from the collection in
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
The collection is open to the public by appointment.
Alfred Renfro Photograph Albums and Diaries, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Received from Robert Kirschke in March 2013.
Some photographs were removed from albums for preservation purposes. The original album titles were retained on folder labels.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Original album. Photographs depict scenery, transportation, people and various travel activities, with some handwritten captions.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict handmade furniture, cabinetry and interior woodwork at Beaux Arts Village.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict Snoqualmie Falls, rivers, mountains and camping.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict Mt. Shasta, the Pacific coast and camping.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict an unidentified rustic cabin and house.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict Northwest scenery and camping.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict coastal scenery and outdoor family activities.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict the Oregon coast, cabins and Mt. Hood.
Photographs removed from original album. Handwritten on back, first trip with car
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict camping, boy scouts, games and rustic cabins.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict Northwest scenery and camping.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict Northwest rivers.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict Washington coast scenery.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict camping, fishing and outdoor scenery.
Photographs removed from original album. Photographs depict camping, family and outdoor scenery.
Original album. Album includes Renfro family photographs, and images of Beaux Arts Village house interiors, exteriors and gardens.
Original album. Photographs depict Beaux Arts Village snow scenes and the Renfro family.
Original album. Photographs of the Renfro family outdoors at Beaux Arts Village.
Original album. Photographs of the Renfro family outdoors at Beaux Arts Village.
Original album. Photographs depict the Renfro family at Beaux Arts Village.
Original album. Photographs depict the Renfro family at Beaux Arts Village.
Handwritten daily entries include detailed personal finance accounting during the Alaska Gold Rush trip.
Handwritten entries and addresses.