Collection is open for research.
Purchased from Sharon Lowry in 2014 (Lib. Acc. 27432).
Collection arranged using numbering on original negative sleeves when available.
Lily E. White was born in Oregon City in 1866. White trained in portrait painting and art in San Francisco and Chicago before taking up photography in the 1890s. White joined the Oregon Camera Club as a "lady member" in 1898. At that time, women were not allowed full membership in the organization. However, White's technical expertise and talent elevated her to the positions of assistant secretary and demonstrator, a role in which she instructed fellow members on the art of photography. It is likely through the Oregon Camera Club that White became acquainted with fellow members Sarah Hall Ladd, Will H. Walker, and Maud Ainsworth. In 1903, White commissioned the construction of a houseboat, the Raysark, which featured several living quarters and an onboard darkroom. White lived on the Raysark during extended photography trips up the Columbia River. White died in Carmel, California, in 1944.
Source: Glauber, Carole. "Eyes of the Earth: Lily White, Sarah Ladd and the Oregon Camera Club." Oregon Historical Quarterly 108 (Spring 2007): 34-67.
Negatives are not available for direct access. Contact library staff for assistance.
Lily E. White negatives, Org. Lot 1415, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Additional collections related to the photography of Sarah Hall Ladd and Lily E. White include the Ladd family photographs, Org. Lot 58, and the Lily E. White photographs, Org. Lot 662.
Collection consists of negatives from the estate of Lily E. White. They are attributed to White, but some of the photographs may have been taken by Sarah Hall Ladd. Ladd was an active member of the Oregon Camera Club, a notable photographer of the Columbia River Gorge, and a frequent collaborator with White. The images in the collection date from approximately 1900 to 1915. Topical highlights include landscape views of the Columbia River Gorge; garden scenes and flower photographs taken at the home of Sarah Hall Ladd and her spouse, Charles Elliott Ladd; and interior and exterior views of Lily E. White's houseboat, the Raysark. Also included in the collection are photographs and album pages from trips to Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and along the coast near Carmel, California.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.