See letters, photographs and other ephemera from two of Seattle's early families.
Unknown man in Abington, Illinois, 1879
Photograph taken by William Johnston in Abingdon, Illinois.
Identifier: spl_lj_025
Date: 1879
View this item"Monterey" gunboat in Port Orchard dry dock, ca. 1896
Transcribed from back of photograph: "The Monterey in dry dock at Port Orchard near Seattle. They put the boats in the dock, then pump out the water to paint or clean the bottom which gets covered with barnacles, little muscle shell, seaweeds, + c." The Port Orchard Dry Dock mentioned in the caption is likely the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
Identifier: spl_lj_063
Date: 1896?
View this itemUnknown woman in Clarinda, Iowa, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by E.B. Hinman in Clarinda, Iowa.
Identifier: spl_lj_031
Date: 1880?
View this itemUnknown man in Santa Barbara, California, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by Alfred Moore Stringfield in Santa Barbara, California.
Identifier: spl_lj_053
Date: 1880?
View this itemUnknown man in Council Grove, Kansas, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by George A. McMillan in Council Grove, Kansas.
Identifier: spl_lj_040
Date: 1885?
View this itemSpanish explorers becalmed off Patos Island
Parker McAllister, born in 1903 in Massachusetts, was a Seattle Times artist from 1924 to 1965. McAllister started his career as an illustrator at 14 for a Spokane publication; he joined the art staff at the Seattle Times in 1920. His first Sunday magazine cover was a poster-type illustration celebrating the University of Washington crew races in spring 1924. During McAllister's career, he created illustrations depicting “local color” events and situations now routinely handled by photographers. As the technology improved, he expanded his repertoire - he illustrated articles, drew covers for special sections and the weekly Seattle Sunday Times Magazine, and drew diagrams, comics, cartoons, and portraits for the Times’ editorial page. In 1956, an exhibition of his watercolor and oil paintings of Pacific Northwest scenes and historical incidents - including some paintings from the “Discovery of the Pacific Northwest” series - were exhibited at the Washington State Historical Society Museum in Tacoma. He was also a member of the Puget Sound Group of Men Painters. McAllister retired from the Seattle Times in 1965; he passed away in Arizona in 1970.
Identifier: spl_art_291985_16.153
Date: 1955
View this itemUnknown man in Hamburg, Illinois, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by Rifenburg & Co. studio in Hamburg, Iowa.
Identifier: spl_lj_021
Date: 1880?
View this itemJames Smith Latimer [?], ca. 1840
A note attached to original photograph identifies the child as James Smith Latimer. James Smith Latimer (1836-1893) was the son of Alexander Latimer and his first wife, Eunice Jane Guthrie. Given that James was born in 1836, a photo showing him at this age would have been taken around 1840. The photograph, however, appears to come from a later period, making it unclear if he is actually the child in the photograph.
Identifier: spl_lj_052
Date: 1840?
View this itemNarcissa Latimer letter to Alice Latimer, February 17, 1888
Narcissa Leonora (Nora) Latimer Denny was the daughter of Alexander and Sarah Latimer. She had four sisters: Eliza Alice Latimer Fowler (1856-1934), Harriet Ellen Latimer Stephens (1859-1938), Clara Latimer Bickford (1861-1934), and Emma Chesney Latimer Reynolds (1864-1946). Narcissa married Orion Denny on April 1, 1889. The letter is addressed to Alice and discusses attending the wedding of George and Leanna, the birth of their sister Harriet's child, and her plans to take a break from teaching to take music classes. The letter was postmarked from Abingdon, Illinois.
Identifier: spl_lj_006
Date: 1888-02-17
View this itemUnknown man in Burlington, Iowa, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by S.T. Bryan in Burlington, Iowa.
Identifier: spl_lj_022
Date: 1880?
View this item