Austin Seward was born May 4, 1885 and died in May of 1974. Sources say he spent time working as a sheriff, mill worker, politician, and dairy operator, among other things. Seward worked as a local photographer for Pierson’s studio in the early 1920s. He was also a photographer for Bainbridge Studios.
The collection consists of 4 photograph albums and loose photographs (approximately 700 photographs in total) depicting a wide range of subjects. Some of the photographs are stamped Pierson Studios, some Bainbridge Studios, some with both studio names, and others were not stamped at all. Some of the photographs are identified and/or dated, but many are not. Many of the photographs were taken in Seattle and include scenic and aerial views, downtown views, clocks, buildings and commercial photography. One of the albums contains photographs that highlight various products made by Joseph Mayer & Brothers Company in Seattle. There is also an album that contains photographs and specifications of cremation urns and other funeral products. There are many miscellaneous photographs with subjects including scenery, logging, ships, planes, foreign monuments, and artifacts.
View selections from the collection in
The collection has been divided into two series: albums and loose photographs. The loose photographs are organized loosely by subject.
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.
Austin Seward Photograph Collection, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Donor: Evelyn “Lyn” Seward Damewood (widow of Austin Seward); 1980.
One of the albums (1980.6877.5) was disassembled for preservation purposes and separated into several different folders. The original order of the album pages has been retained.
Items .1, .2, and .3 were removed from the collection and added to Museum library reference. The collection starts at .4.
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.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Includes Volunteer Park, scenery, commercial photography, business interiors and exteriors, houses interiors and exteriors, Tatoosh Range, Drummond Lighterage Co. barge, Sovereign Gas Station, logging, Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Co., Montlake Bridge, Mt. Rainier, Aurora Bridge, Herbert Hoover, Alaska Indian Totem Pole at “Totem Place” West Seattle, Chatterton Bakeries, Eddie Hubbard with the Boeing B-1, Columbus Hospital Nurses, J.F. Jappe’s Farm – Alderwood Manor, farming, Invalid Coach Service – Shepard, YWCA pool.
Album taken apart and separated into folders. Includes various objects from the Jos. Mayer & Bros. Company such as: clocks, medals, buckles, pins, coins, rings, and platters.
Includes various objects from Jos. Mayer & Bros. such as: medals, buckles, pins, coins, rings, and platters.
Includes cremation urns, memorial tablets, vases, and emblems of fraternal organizations. Includes identifications and specifications.
Includes Pioneer Square, unidentified streets, Second Avenue & Columbia (Financial District), Dexter Horton Building.
Includes Metropolitan Theatre, White Building, unidentified Seattle streets.
Includes National Bank of Commerce, Masonic Temple.
Includes Nurses Home Columbus Hospital, Civic Auditorium.
Includes Harborview Hospital, Dexter Horton Building, Medical Dental Building.
Includes Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Building, Cheasty Building, Melhorn Building.
Includes the Bon Marche, Olympic Hotel.
Includes Marlborough House, Sheffield Apartment, L.W. Sutter Silver Shop, J.J. Bleitz Undertaking.
Includes downtown Seattle views, Madison Street cable car, unidentified church, Kristopherson’s Dairy and Western Union Telegraph & Cable Office, Lone Pine Bar, unidentified rural road.
Includes Seattle views, Union Street Station Great Northern Railroad, Lake Union.
Includes commercial photography, Spring’s Jewelry Store, Pierson Studio, Mountain Lakes Water Company, Lake Hannon, Lake Fontell, Cherry Creek, Lake Marion, Young’s River, Tolt River.
Includes Tower Coffee Shop, Van de Kamp’s Bakery.
Includes Van de Kamp’s Bakery, Seattle Tent and Awning Company, M. Seller Company.
Includes unidentified lobby, Smith Tower Annex interior, Bainbridge Beauty Shop (Winslow, Washington), hardware store interior, Star Machinery Co.
Include building interiors, banks.
Include ships, shipbuilding, Winslow Shipyard
Includes Eagle Harbor, ships, Captain Backland aboard C.S. Holmes, hospital ship, West Seattle Ferry.
Includes ships, Bremerton ferry, bridges, ship C.S. Holmes.
Includes passenger ferries at Port of Seattle Pier 3, Eagle Harbor, Naval vessels, Seattle waterfront, ships sailing.
Includes Boeing P314 float plane #NX18601, airplanes, Boeing B1 U.S. mail plane at Lake Union with Eddie Hubbard
Includes scenery, Saw Tooth Range White Pass and Yukon Railroad track by Ed Andrews.
Includes flowers, scenery, Mt. Rainier.
Includes paint brushes, art deco, sea shell, pendants, books, necklaces, planting pots, mining car, Briggs & Stratton one cylinder gasoline engine with gear reduction device on left side, Native American artifacts, Persian rug.
Includes many miscellaneous photographs including railroad, foreign photographs, trail drive, Canadian Pacific Railroad, totem pole, family wedding scene, dog with shark, canine, White Pass and Yukon Railroad.
Includes harbor, ships, waterfront, lumber port, ship being cut up for scrap.
Includes various scenic photographs and Snoqualmie Falls.
Includes lumbering; 1320 Queen Anne Avenue built by Fred Anhalt; Bainbridge Beauty Shop, Winslow, Washington; dance floor circa 1900-1930s.