wasmhi1980_7166.xml Guide to the Joanna Eckstein Photograph Collection circa 1870-1952 Eckstein (Joanna) Photograph Collection Finding aid prepared by Jody Hendrickson Museum of History & Industry © 2008
5933 6th Avenue South Seattle, WA 98108 Phone: 206-324-1126 URL: http://www.mohai.org
Finding aid encoded by Jody Hendrickson 2008 Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard). Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library
5933 6th Avenue South Seattle, WA 98108 Phone: 206-324-1126 URL: http://www.mohai.org
1980.7166 Eckstein, Joanna, 1903-1983 Joanna Eckstein Photograph Collection circa 1870-1952 1 box 71 photographs and 1 scrapbook 2b.1.10 1a.3.7 (oversize photograph) Photographs of members of the Eckstein, Schwabacher and Gatzert families, and a scrapbook on civic leader Nathan Eckstein. Collection materials are in English. Biographical Note

Joanna Eckstein (1903-1983) was born and grew up in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Prominent patron of the arts, Eckstein was the daughter of Seattle civic leader and longtime school board member Nathan Eckstein, for whom Eckstein Middle School is named, and Mina Schwabacher Eckstein, whose family owned the Schwabacher Brothers & Company wholesale grocery store. Joanna Eckstein attended Seattle public schools T.T. Minor Elementary and Broadway High, and then studied at Goucher College. Eckstein worked briefly as a social worker for the Social Welfare League after graduating college, but the job "didn't last very long because I really wasn't interested in social work." Like her parents, Joanna was always active in civic organizations, serving as President of the Seattle Children's Home and the Seattle King County Visiting Nurse Association, and working with organizations such as United Good Neighbors, the World Affairs Council, and the Seattle Foundation.

Eckstein was best known, however, for her longtime involvement with the Seattle arts community. Eckstein succeeded her father, after his death in 1945, to serve as a board member of the Seattle Art Museum until her death in 1983; she was also on the board for Allied Arts and the Seattle Opera Association. She supported local artists and had close personal relationships with many, such as painters Mark Tobey, Kenneth Callahan and Helmi Juvonen.

Eckstein also traveled extensively, purportedly visiting all the continents, and taking a trip around the world in 1956. She often led art-related tours for Seattle Art Museum members, traveling to Europe, Asia, South America, the Caribbean and Mexico. During the 1950s and 1960s, Eckstein also wrote travel articles for the Seattle Times, reporting not only on art but on places and people, and such issues as the progress of post-war recovery in Europe, and German resentment over the territorial division of their country.

Joanna Eckstein died in Seattle in 1983.

The collection consists largely of photographs of Joanna Eckstein's parents, Seattle civic leader Nathan Eckstein and Mina Schwabacher Eckstein, and her Schwabacher relatives, including her grandfather Abraham and his brothers Louis and Sigmund, of the Schwabacher Brothers & Co. store, and their wives; and Babette Schwabacher Gatzert and Bailey Gatzert. The collection also includes a scrapbook containing photographs and clippings about Nathan Eckstein.

The following describes the relationships among the individuals depicted in the collection photographs:

Joanna Eckstein was one of two daughters (with her sister Babette) of Nathan Eckstein and Mina Schwabacher Eckstein. Mina Schwabacher was a daughter of Abraham Schwabacher (circa 1838-1909) and Sarah Lehrberger (1847-?), who married in 1869. Abraham and his brothers Louis and Sigmund owned the Schwabacher Brothers wholesale grocery stores in Walla Walla, and later, Seattle. The Schwabacher brothers had a sister, Babette Schwabacher (1836-1908), who married Bailey Gatzert (1829-1893) in 1861. Gatzert became the first (and to date, only) Jewish mayor of Seattle in 1875. The Gatzerts had no children. Louis Schwabacher (1837-1900) married Belle Blum in 1877 and they had two daughters. Sigmund Schwabacher (1841-1917) married Rosa in 1971 and they had seven children, including a son, Leopold, who had a son Morton and daughter Bertha. The collection also depicts a woman who is probably Sarah Lehrberger's sister, Bella Dinkelspiel, and her daughter, Etta.

View selections from the collection in MOHAI's online collections.

The collection is open to the public by appointment.

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.

Joanna Eckstein Photograph Collection, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle

Gift of Joanna Eckstein, December 23, 1980

One photograph in the collection was received in a different donation of materials from Joanna Eckstein, Accession No. 1980.7139. This photograph is housed with the collection and included in the inventory below.

Joanna Eckstein oral history interview. Smithsonian Archives of American Art, April 7, 1983. <http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/eckste83.htm>

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.

Eckstein, Joanna--Photographs Eckstein, Nathan, 1873-1945--Photographs Eckstein, Mina--Photographs Schwabacher, Abraham--Photographs Schwabacher, Louis--Photographs Schwabacher, Ludwig--Photographs Gatzert, Bailey--Photographs United States--Washington (State)--Seattle Jews--Washington (State)--Seattle Families--Washington (State)--Seattle Photographs Seattle Jewish Americans Photographic prints

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Photographs 1.1 1/1 Schwabacher and Gatzert families circa 1880s

This group portrait depicts the four Schwabacher siblings and their spouses.

Left to right: Babette Schwabacher Gatzert, Bailey Gatzert, Bella Blum Schwabacher (Louis's wife), Abraham Schwabacher, Sarah Lehrberger Schwabacher (Abraham's wife), Louis Schwabacher, Sigmund Schwabacher, Rosa Schwabacher (Sigmund's wife)

 1.2 1/2 Mrs. Bailey Gatzert (Babette Schwabacher) circa 1900 Habenicht , San Francisco 1.3 1/3 Bailey Gatzert summer home circa 1890 1.4-.9 1/3 Bailey Gatzert summer home and grounds circa 1890s John Soule , Seattle 6 photographs 1.10 1/3 Babette Schwabacher Gatzert in front of Gatzert home undated John Soule , Seattle 1.11 1/4 Abraham Schwabacher seated on porch circa 1900 1.12 1/4 Abraham Schwabacher circa late 1800s Imperial Studio , San Francisco 1.12a OS Abraham Schwabacher and granddaughter Babette Eckstein circa 1908s oversize photo shelf 1a.4.6 1.13 1/4 Louis Schwabacher circa late 1800s Taber , San Francisco 1.14 1/5 Sarah Lehrberger Schwabacher as a young woman circa 1870 Bradley & Rulofson , San Francisco 1980.7139.6 1/5 Sarah Lehrberger Schwabacher as a young woman circa 1870

This photograph was received with Accession No. 1980.7139, gift of Joanna Eckstein, November 28, 1980

 1.15 1/5 Sarah Schwabacher circa late 1800s Habenicht , San Francisco 1.16 1/6 Sarah Schwabacher with daughters Mina Eckstein and Jeanie Rosenbaum 1917 1.17 1/6 Sarah Schwabacher 1930 1.18 1/6 Sarah Schwabacher with her daughter, Mina Eckstein, granddaughter Babette Eckstein Joseph (Mina's daughter), and infant grandson Stephen Joseph (Babette's son) 1930 1.19 1/7 Group of schoolgirls at boarding school in Hanover, Germany, including sisters Mina and Jeanie Schwabacher circa 1882 1.20 1/8 Mina Schwabacher in German outfit 1901 F. Grainer's Nachfl. , Bad Reichenhall 1.21 1/9 Mina Schwabacher in her wedding dress 1902 Taber , San Francisco 1.22 1/8 Mina Schwabacher Eckstein circa late 1800s 1.23 1/8 Mina Schwabacher Eckstein 1903 1.24 1/8 Mina Schwabacher Eckstein 1925 1.25 1/10 Nathan Eckstein circa 1910s 1.26 1/11 Nathan Eckstein and secretary "Miss Lafferty" working at desks circa 1908 1.27 1/10 Nathan Eckstein circa 1940 Rounds & Reef , Seattle 1.28 1/10 Nathan Eckstein standing near display of flower baskets circa 1940 Frank Jacobs , Seattle 1.29 1/10 Nathan Eckstein at desk 1934 1.30-.31 1/10 Nathan Eckstein circa 1917 1.32 1/11 Nathan Eckstein 1929 J. Arthur Young , Seattle 1.33 1/12 Mina Schwabacher and her cousins Cora, Etta and Jenny Dinkelspiel 1897

Inscribed on back on mount: Sept 8th 1897 Seattle Wash. To Aunt Belle, from her niece Mina

 1.34 1/13 Nathan, Mina, Joanna and Babette Eckstein 1923 Grady , Seattle 1.35 1/13 Mina Eckstein with daughters Joanna and Babette and mother Sarah Schwabacher riding horses at Mount Rainier circa 1916 1.36 1/13 Joanna and Babette Eckstein 1910 1.37 1/14 Sarah Schwabacher with granddaughters Joanna and Babette Eckstein circa 1910 1.38 1/12 Joanna and Nathan Eckstein on frozen Green Lake 1919 1.39 1/12 Nathan, Joanna and Babette Eckstein and Helen Drever at Mount Rainier circa 1923 Jacobs 1.40 1/13 Mina and Nathan Eckstein 1920 S.J. Walters , Seattle 1.41 1/14 Group of Shriners in car, Nathan Eckstein in back seat 1915 1.42 1/15 Shriners in three cars, Nathan Eckstein in back seat of front car 1915 1.43 1/15 Portrait of Nathan Eckstein in Nile Shriner fez 1915 1.44 1/14 Group of Shriners, including Nathan Eckstein and Leo Schwabacher 1915 1.45 1/15 Group of Nile Shriners, including Nathan Eckstein 1915 James & Merrihew , Seattle 1.46 1/16 Eckstein home at corner of 14th Avenue North and East Ward Street, Seattle 1915 1.47 1/17 Nathan Eckstein and woman holding up "Seattle Courtesy Army" sign on car window 1930 1.48 1/17 Nathan Eckstein with others at a banquet undated 1.49 1/17 Mina, Nathan and Joanna Eckstein and two couples on boat 1930

This photograph was taken aboard the Aleutian on a Chamber of Commerce trip to Alaska. Along with the Ecksteins are the Northern Life Insurance Company president and his wife, and Charles Clark, who had something to do with "wholesale grain."

 1.50 1/17 Nathan and Joanna Eckstein shaking hands with military officers ("Colonel Parker") at Fort Lawton event circa 1940 1.51 1/17 Nathan Eckstein and others on the S.S. President Cleveland circa 1920s Walter P. Miller , Seattle

Inscription on back of photograph: "Maiden voyage of the Pres Cleveland from here to Orient."

Inscription also identifies the seven men as: Chester Roberts (President of Imperial Candy Company), Will Rhodes, Ancil Haines, Nathan Eckstein, University of Washington President M. Lyle Spencer, Douglas Ball, F. Louis Nageltooth (?)

 1.52 1/17 Members of Washington State Planning Council, including Nathan Eckstein 1940 1.53 1/18 Copy of stereograph of Bailey Gatzert's Seattle home pre-1900 1.54 1/18 Antler's Hotel at Lake Cushman 1917 1.55 1/18 View from Volunteer Park water tower showing Parker-Fersen house on 14th Avenue East, and Mount Rainier undated Asahel Curtis 1.56-.58 1/19 Group at Thanksgiving dinner 1952 3 photographs

Identification on backs of photographs.

Individuals depicted: Joanna Eckstein, Ruth, Bill and Cleo Chambliss, Victor and Virginia Denny, Babe and Les Comyn

 1.59 1/20 James Goldsmith 1910

Goldsmith was President of Schwabacher Brothers before Nathan Eckstein.

 1.60 1/20 Bella (Lehrberger) Dinkelspiel 1883 Rieman & Co. , San Francisco

Probably the sister of Mina Eckstein's mother, Sarah (Lehrberger) Schwabacher

 1.61 1/20 Dr. Caspar Sharpless undated Asahel Curtis 1.62 1/20 Dr. Caspar Sharpless undated 1.63 1/21 Mina Schwabacher as a young child circa 1880 Rieman , San Francisco 1.54 1/21 Joanna and Babette Eckstein 1940 1.65 1/21 Etta Dinkelspiel Schirmer undated

Bella Dinkelspiel's daughter. Bella was probably Sarah Schwabacher's sister.

 1.66 1/21 Joanna Eckstein and Morton Schwabacher as young children circa 1907

Morton Schwabacher was the son of Leopold Schwabacher and grandson of Sigmund Schwabacher.

 1.67 1/21 Milk delivery on sled in snowstorm 1916 1.68 1/21 Dwight Eisenhower in motorcade 1952 October 1.69 1/22 Joanna Eckstein on horseback at Volunteer Park undated Nowell & Rognan , Seattle hand-colored 1.70 1/22 Joanna and Babette Eckstein and others hiking at Nisqually Glacier circa 1918 1 Nathan Eckstein scrapbook undated 11.25" x15.5"

Bound scrapbook with blue cover printed with "Nathan Eckstein 1873-1945." Contains 3 photographs of Eckstein dated 1902, 1906 and 1917, and 12 pages of clippings about Eckstein from about 1926 through his death in 1945.