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Gifford photographs collection, circa 1890-1947

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Gifford, Benjamin A.
Title
Gifford photographs collection
Dates
circa 1890-1947 (inclusive)
Quantity
12.1 cubic feet, (3,757 photographs, 6 postcards, and 23 volumes of photogravures in 32 document boxes, 2 oversize boxes, and 1 folder in oversize flat files))
Collection Number
Org. Lot 982
Summary
This collection primarily contains photographs taken by Benjamin A. Gifford, who worked both in Portland and The Dalles, Or. from 1890-1920, both as a solo photographer and in partnerships with Herbert Hale as Gifford & Hale and with Arthur M. Prentiss as Gifford & Prentiss. The collection also contains photographs taken by Benjamin's son, Ralph I. Gifford, who began work in his father's studio and later was a photographer for the Oregon State Highway Commission until his death in 1947.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public, except for negatives, which are stored offsite and are not available for research use.

Languages
English.
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Funding for printing from the original negatives was provided by the Meyer Memorial Trust, 1999.
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Biographical Note

Benjamin A. Gifford (1859-1936) was born in Danville, Ill.. He attended Kansas Normal College and apprenticed in photography studios for two years in Fort Scott, Ks. Afterwards, he operated his own studios there and elsewhere in Kansas. In 1884, he married Myrtle Peck, and the couple moved to Portland, Or. circa 1890. Their only child, Ralph, was born in 1894.

Gifford operated a studio at Sixth and Morrison streets in Portland until the Panic of 1893 forced him to operate from his home on Corbett Street. Here he improved his techniques, becoming the first photographer to make enlargements using an electric bulb as a light source. In 1894, Gifford partnered with Herbert Hale in the Gifford & Hale Studio on SW Third between SW Alder and Morrison Streets. Hale's strong background in landscape photography and Gifford's enlargement set-up and printing mastery gave them a near monopoly for a brief period on locally-produced large-format prints and murals.

In partnership with Hale, Gifford turned to landscape work and within three years had transformed himself into one of Oregon's most respected landscape photographers. The partnership dissolved circa 1897, when Gifford moved to The Dalles, Or. He equipped himself with the best cameras and lenses available for landscape photography at the time and pursued many commercial possibilities for his art, including photogravure reproductions, sold as sets of loose prints and in books. He also sold a great deal of his work to various railroads, becoming a primary supplier of photomurals for train stations. Gifford outfitted a traveling wagon and tent studio and traveled around Oregon and Washington, offering his photography services to farmers and ranchers, as well as to many small communities. Gifford also became a favorite photographer for railroads, magazines, real estate developers, and communities who advertised the region's possibilities to the outside world. He began producing hand-colored murals, lithographed postcards, and photo-postcards. His work was also published as high-quality photogravures in large-format books, including one on Neahkahnie, Or., with support from developer Simeon G. Read, a second titled Art Work of the State of Oregon (1900), with text by William Reid, and a third entitled, Art Work of Portland , Mt. Hood and the Columbia River (1912), with text by Eva Emery Dye, as well as a view book entitled, Snap Shots of the Columbia (1902).

In 1910, Gifford sold his studio in The Dalles to Charles Lamb and moved back to Portland. He continued to manage a commercial studio and produced a series of photographs of the construction of the Columbia River Highway, which were exhibited at the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Benjamin took on another partner, Arthur M. Prentiss, circa 1916. The Gifford & Prentiss Studio was located on SW Washington between Twelfth and Thirteenth in downtown Portland and lasted until Gifford retired in 1920.

Benjamin Gifford's wife, Myrtle Peck Gifford, died in 1919, after nearly two decades as an invalid. Gifford then married Rachel Morgan, a former schoolteacher from The Dalles who had worked for him as a colorist, in October of that year. They made their home, called "Wa-ne-Ka," on Salmon Creek north of Vancouver, Wash.. Benjamin A. Gifford died on 1936 March 5.

Ralph I. Gifford (1894-1947), son of Benjamin A. Gifford, learned photography by working in his father's studio. After Benjamin's retirement in 1920, Ralph took over Gifford Studio Inc. at 444 Washington St. in Portland, Or., retaining control of most of his father's original negatives, which he often reprinted, sometimes under his own imprint. He operated his own studio at 515 Commonwealth Building from 1921-1922 and from his home at 1289 Fremont St. from 1923-1926. After selling his business in 1928, Ralph joined the still and motion picture photographers Heaton & Emery of Portland, Or. in 1930 and became partner of Heaton & Gifford the following year. In 1935, Ralph left Heaton & Gifford to operate his own studio out of his home at 4537 NE Fremont Street in Portland, a business he closed in 1936 when he became the first photographer for the Travel and Information Division in the Oregon State Highway Commission. Ralph Gifford married Wanda Muir Theobald, also a photographer, in 1918.

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Content Description

This collection consists primarily of copy and original photographs taken by Benjamin A. Gifford from 1890-1920, including those taken during his partnerships with Gifford & Hale and Gifford & Prentiss. There are also a number of photographs taken by Benjamin's son and successor, Ralph I. Gifford, circa 1921-1947.

The bulk of the collection consists of 29 boxes of copy prints made from original negatives taken from 1894-1931 by Benjamin A. Gifford, Gifford & Hale, and Gifford & Prentiss. These possibly also include some early photographs taken by Ralph I. Gifford. The copy prints mainly depict various locations in Oregon, including Portland, as well as in other Western states, and views of the Columbia River, Columbia River Gorge, and Columbia River Highway. Other subjects include various industries in Oregon, including agriculture, fishing and fisheries, lumber, transportation (including automobiles, railroads, and steamships); recreational activities in the state; advertising photographs taken by the Giffords for various Oregon businesses; photographs of Native Americans and Native American culture; studio portraiture; nature photography; and photographs of military activities in Oregon during World War I. There are also some photographs by Gifford of work by other photographers. The copy prints in this collection are arranged by subject, not by photographer, as many of the negatives do not have identifying imprints.

The remainder of the collection consists of original photographic prints taken by Benjamin A. Gifford, Gifford & Hale, Gifford & Prentiss, and Ralph I. Gifford. These original prints, which are arranged by photographer name and dates of operation, depict many of the same subjects as the copy prints. A large number of the original photographs that depict views of Oregon and transportation were taken on commission for the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway/The North Bank Road. These photographs also include work that Ralph I. Gifford did for the Oregon State Highway Commission after 1936.

The collection also includes some photomechanical prints of work done by Benjamin A. Gifford and his partners. These include color postcards, twelve volumes of photogravures in Art Work of The State of Oregon (1900), nine volumes of photogravures in Art Work of Portland, Mt. Hood and the Columbia River (1912), and two copies of Benjamin A. Gifford's view book, Snap Shots on the Columbia (1902).

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.

Preferred Citation

Gifford photographs collection, Org. Lot 982, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series and subseries:

  • Series A: Copy prints made from Gifford negatives, 1894-1931
    • Subseries 1: Oregon (except Portland), 1897-1931
    • Subseries 2: Columbia River, Gorge, and Highway, 1898-circa 1920
    • Subseries 3: Portland, Or., 1894-1924
    • Subseries 4: Locations outside of Oregon, 1901-1926
    • Subseries 5: Unidentified locations,1905-1928
    • Subseries 6: Agriculture, 1899-1902
    • Subseries 7: Activities and advertising, circa 1900-1921
    • Subseries 8: Native Americans, circa 1898-1901
    • Subseries 9: Portraits, 1920, undated
    • Subseries 10: Industry, 1923, undated
    • Subseries 11: Fishing and fisheries, 1899-circa 1915
    • Subseries 12: Lumber industry, circa 1905-1918
    • Subseries 13: Military, circa 1918
    • Subseries 14: Transportation, 1899-1927
    • Subseries 15: Nature, undated
    • Subseries 16: Copy photographs of work by other photographers, undated
  • Series B: Original Benjamin A. Gifford photographs, circa 1890-1923
    • Subseries 1: Oregon (export Portland), 1892-1923
    • Subseries 2: Columbia River, Gorge, and Highway, 1898-circa 1920
    • Subseries 3: Portland, Or., circa 1890-1923
    • Subseries 4: Locations outside of Oregon, circa 1901-1916
    • Subseries 5: Portraits, circa 1892-1913
    • Subseries 6: Transportation, 1898-circa 1919
    • Subseries 7: Other subjects, circa 1898-1918
  • Series C: Original Gifford & Hale photographs, circa 1894-1897
  • Series D: Original Gifford & Prentiss photographs, circa 1916-1919
    • Subseries 1: Oregon (except Portland) locations, circa 1916-1919
    • Subseries 2: Columbia River and Highway, circa 1916-1919
    • Subseries 3: Portland, Or. locations, circa 1916-1919
    • Subseries 4: Agriculture, circa 1916-1919
    • Subseries 5: Other subjects, circa 1916-1919
  • Series E: Original Ralph I. Gifford photographs, circa 1921-1947
    • Subseries 1: Oregon (except Portland) locations, circa 1923-1947
    • Subseries 2: Columbia River, Gorge, and Highway, circa 1922-1940
    • Subseries 3: Portland, Or. locations, circa 1923-1926
    • Subseries 4: Other subjects, circa 1921-1935

Custodial History

Ralph I. Gifford took over his father's negative collection after Benjamin Gifford retired in 1920 and offered prints and postcards for sale through his own studio on Mt. Hood Loop Highway at White River, Or. Arthur M. Prentiss may also have retained some negatives from his partnership with Benjamin. Eventually, Ralph Gifford sold most of his father's stock photography library and original negatives to Sawyer's Scenic Photo in Portland, Or., which specialized in producing and marketing postcards. Many of the negatives came to the Oregon Historical Society circa 1950. The Gifford family did retain a number of negatives and prints, which were donated to the Hoerner Museum in 1986. That collection was transferred to the Oregon State University Archives in 1996, when the museum closed.

Acquisition Information

The bulk of the collection was acquired by the Oregon Historical Society, circa 1950.

Other accessions that were added to this collection include Library accession nos. 7338, 7699, 8297, 9658, 9686, 9689, 9716, 10172, 10337, and 11587, as well as Photo accession nos. 977D057, 980D005, 985D069, 986D082, 988D030, 988D049, 994D014, and 994D015 (Library accession no. 22025).

Processing Note

Many of the original photographs in this collection were removed from the Self-Indexing Photo Files in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library and integrated during the course of processing, 2002-2003.

Separated Materials

Approximately 3,300 glass and nitrate negatives from this collection have been removed and are stored offsite.

Related Materials

The Oregon State University Libraries, University Archives in Corvallis, Or. holds the Gifford Photographic Collection (P 218), which mostly contains photographs taken by Ralph I. Gifford, his wife Wanda, and their son Ben L. Gifford, as well as some photographs taken by Benjamin A. Gifford. A guide to the collection is available on the Oregon State University Libraries, University Archives website.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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

Finding aid prepared by Sharon M. Howe and Trudy Williams, 2002-2003, and Megan K. Friedel, 2006
2006

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