See letters, photographs and other ephemera from two of Seattle's early families.
Charlie Reynolds, ca. 1880
Charles Reynolds was the husband of Emma Chesney Latimer Reynolds, daughter of Alexander and Sarah Latimer and sister to Narcissa Latimer. Charles and Emma married in 1886 in Minnesota. The photograph was taken by T. Ordemann in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The 1890 Seattle City Directory lists Charles as a boarder at 1108 Seneca St., the home of Narcissa and Orion Denny.
Identifier: spl_lj_049
Date: 1880
View this itemMadam Pavlova, ca. 1921
Frank Asakichi Kunishige was born in Japan on June 5, 1878. He came to the United States via San Francisco in 1895. After graduating from the Illinois College of Photography, he opened a small photography studio in San Francisco. Kunishige moved to Seattle in 1917. In the same year, he married Gin Kunishige and began working in the studio of Edward S. Curtis where he became acquainted with Ella McBride who he worked for in later years. Kunishige was well known for his use of Pictorialism, a popular painterly style of photography. He developed his photographs on "textura tissue," a paper of his own creation, which allowed him to produce almost dreamlike prints. His work was featured nationally and internationally in exhibitions and publications such as Photo-Era and Seattle's Town Crier. In 1924, Kunishige became one of the founding members of the Seattle Camera Club, a group of local photographers including Kyo Koike, Yukio Morinaga, Iwao Matsushita and Fred Y. Ogasawara who gathered to share techniques and ideas, as well as their deep love of the medium. Although the group was initially solely Japanese, they soon welcomed more members including Ella McBride, their first female member. When World War II struck and the country's Japanese internment policy was put in place, Kunishige and his wife were forced to leave Seattle for Idaho where they were interned at the Minidoka camp. After their release, Kunishige spent two years working at a photography studio in Twin Falls, Idaho but eventually returned to Seattle due to his poor health. Frank Kunishige passed away on April 9, 1960.
Identifier: spl_art_367924_21
Date: 1921
View this item"Australian" steamboat at Canyon City in Yukon Territory, ca. 1899
A similar photograph in the University of Washington’s Eric A. Hegg’s photographs identifies the location at Miles Canyon Landing, about 6 miles south of Whitehorse on the Yukon River. This location was used by the Canyon and White Horse Rapids Tramway Company between 1897 and 1900 to portage steamer cargo around Miles Canyon and the Whitehorse Rapids. Location information for Canyon City has been provided based on information from the National Park Service. The "Australian" was constructed by the Canadian Development Company in Bennett, British Columbia in 1899.
Identifier: spl_ap_00151
Date: 1899
View this itemUnknown girl, ca. 1865
Tintype portrait of unidentified girl.
Identifier: spl_lj_017
Date: 1865
View this itemUnion soldiers, ca. 1865
Tintype portrait of five Union soldiers. Likely taken during the Civil War.
Identifier: spl_lj_015
Date: 1865
View this itemCouple standing next to large logs, August 1897
Transcribed from back of photograph: "Washington Logs, Iowa People. Aug '97. Photo by N.L.D. 4338 ft. of lumber on top log. August 1897."
Identifier: spl_lj_056
Date: 1897-08
View this itemArthur Bickford, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by L.E. Meason in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Clara Latimer Bickford was the daughter of Alexander and Sarah Latimer and sister of Narcissa Latimer Denny. She married Arthur Farrington Bickford in 1888 in Minnesota. They lived in Seattle from roughly 1892-1900 before moving to Oregon.
Identifier: spl_lj_037
Date: 1880
View this itemNative American baskets in home of Mabel Thompson, ca. 1900
Transcribed from back of photograph: "Part of Mabel's collection of Indian baskets. A corner in her room - photo by O.O.W. Denny. Mabel Thompson in Seattle." In the 1900 census, H.G. and Mabel Thompson are listed at 1108 Seneca St. (later 1204 Boren), the same address as Orion Denny. Mabel was the daughter of Orion Denny and Eva Flowers Coulter (who he married in 1874 and divorced a few years later). Mabel married Howard G. Thompson in 1894.
Identifier: spl_lj_060
Date: 1890
View this itemArthur A. Denny, ca. 1880
Portrait of one of Seattle's founders, Arthur Denny. Photograph taken by Peterson & Bro. in Seattle, Washington Territory.
Identifier: spl_lj_045
Date: 1880
View this itemUnknown man, ca. 1865
Tintype portrait of unidentified man.
Identifier: spl_lj_014
Date: 1865
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