See letters, photographs and other ephemera from two of Seattle's early families.
Unknown woman in Shenandoah, Iowa, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by W.H. Brewer in Shenandoah, Iowa.
Identifier: spl_lj_029
Date: 1880?
View this itemSemi nudes
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_04
View this itemR.H. letter to "Friend Latimer," October 8, 1874
Letter written to Alexander Latimer, from a friend who recently moved away from Minnesota (where Latimer also lived) to Eldridge, Kansas. The friend describes his health, the weather and agricultural matters along with his disappointment in the low church attendance of his community.
Identifier: spl_lj_005
Date: 1874-02-08
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 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by M.M. Durnam in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Identifier: spl_lj_036
Date: 1880?
View this itemUnknown man in Waterloo, Iowa, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by H.S. & J.W. Hoot in Waterloo, Iowa.
Identifier: spl_lj_024
Date: 1880?
View this itemWilliam and Elizabeth Weir letter to Johnathan and Alexander Latimer, June 29, 1853
Alexander was married to Sarah Chesney Latimer (his third wife) in 1850. The couple had five daughters: Narcissa Leonora Latimer Denny (1851-1900), Eliza Alice Latimer Fowler (1856-1934), Harriet Ellen Latimer Stephens (1859-1938), Clara Latimer Bickford (1861-1934), and Emma Chesney Latimer Reynolds (1864-1946). Elizabeth Latimer Weir was Alexander's sister and William Weir, his brother-in-law. The letter is addressed to Alexander and his brother Johnathan Latimer (1803-1866) and discusses the death of the Latimer's mother, Anne Dobbins Latimer (1776-1853), and the distribution of the estate. The letter also discusses agricultural crops, the growth of the railroad systems on the east coast and other family matters.
Identifier: spl_lj_001
Date: 1853-06-29
View this itemUnknown girl, ca. 1865
Tintype portrait of unidentified young girl.
Identifier: spl_lj_016
Date: 1865?
View this itemUnknown man in Santa Barbara, California, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by W.N. Tuttle in Santa Barbara, California.
Identifier: spl_lj_030
Date: 1880?
View this item