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Webster & Stevens photographs, between 1875 and 1930?

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Webster & Stevens
Title
Webster & Stevens photographs
Dates
between 1875 and 1930? (inclusive)
Quantity
342 photographs (2 boxes and 16 O/S folders)
Collection Number
PH1434
Summary
Photographs taken by Ira Webster and Nelson Stevens of Seattle and the Puget Sound
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

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

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Ira J. Webster (1871–1942) and Nelson Stevens (1874–1938) were pioneering photojournalists based in Seattle. They found quick success as photographers, and established their studio only four years after moving from Michigan. Living up to their motto "We Take Anything. Anytime. Anywhere.", their omnipresence in print publications of the Puget Sound amounts to more than 60,000 photographs taken over the course of their career. Webster & Stevens helped popularize the use of photography in commercial advertising, journalism, and industry throughout the Pacific Northwest, and provided photographic services to many significant Pacific Northwest businesses, most notably the Seattle Times between 1906 and 1942.

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Content Description

Photographs taken by Ira Webster and Nelson Stevens, documenting the Puget Sound, its industries, and its residents, including the Puget Mill Company, the University of Washington, and Native American communities.

Some photographs in this collection fall outside of the lifetimes of Webster and Stevens. The Webster & Stevens Studio, like many of their contemporaries, bought out photographic catalogs then claimed their contents as being their own work. In addition, workers at the Studio continued to produce photographs under the name Webster & Stevens despite not being the work of either photographer after their death.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.

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Administrative Information

Processing Note

The contents of collections PH 1032 (Webster and Stevens Logging Photograph Collection) and PH 1030 (Webster and Stevens Photographs of the Puget Mill Company ) have been transferred to this collection.

Processed by Liam Patrick Bryant; completed in 2023.

Related Materials

See PH275 American Indians of the Pacific Northwest

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Detailed Description of the Collection