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[A pair of photo albums picturing Seattle and vicinity, comprising 229 photographs.]

Seattle, ca. 1900. 2 albums. Vol 1: oblong 8vo (7.25” x 10.75”), full black cloth. 50 tissue-guarded silver print photographs on 45 black leaves, mostly 4.5” x 6.25” but 15 oval-format photos, 2.25” x 3” to 4.25” x 6”, a few blank pages. Label of “Milwaukee, Wis., Badger Albums 60375” at rear pastedown. CONDITION: Good, covers moderately worn, tear at front outer hinge, light soiling to upper and lower covers, one tissue guard missing, one leaf excised from album, occasional fading but tonality generally good. Vol 2: oblong 4to (10.25” x 12.25”), full pebbled brown leather. 157 silver print photographs, from 2” x 2.75” to 4.5” x 6.375”, mounted on 44 black leaves, 7 loose photographs laid in (five 6” x 9”, one 6” x 7.5”, one 2” x 6”) . CONDITION: Good, covers worn, loss and one inch tear to foot of spine, light stains to upper cover, tonality very good overall, one leaf coming detached, loose photos rubbed with some soiling and a few small losses to edges.

A fine pair of photo albums richly documenting the scene in and around Seattle at the turn of the century.

The photographs in these albums fall into five principal categories: activity along Seattle’s waterfront; the city’s interior; lumber, hunting, and mining industries; artistic tomfoolery including some double-exposure spirit photographs and a staged stick-up; and picturesque landscapes, including views of lakes and rivers, people in boats, etc. Numerous photos also capture families and other groups, often posed together in natural settings. Most of the photographs in the leatherbound album show the landscape around Seattle and the industries in the vicinity.

Photos documenting activity along Seattle’s wharf show passenger steamers, sloops, and ships from the Great White Fleet. Eight striking photos document the 1901 collapse of the “White Star” Pier No. 4, showing its remains from the shore looking into Elliott Bay, as well as looking back towards land. Several of these throw the true scale of destruction into relief by the height of distant utility poles, the size of neighboring ferries and piers, and the crowd of onlookers—many of whom gather at the foot of the broken and jumbled pier, examining and discussing the damage.

City views include shots of the business district on what appears to be Columbia Street; residential buildings; and numerous day- and nighttime scenes of two brilliantly-illuminated welcoming arches of the 1902 Seattle Street Fair and Carnival. The first of these, spanning streetcar tracks and beckoning fairgoers into the light-festooned street beyond, stood at James Street and Second Avenue and was flanked by two elk statues in smaller, well-lit niches. The second, topped with an elk head trophy, welcomed visitors on First Avenue. The two-week fair was sponsored and arranged by the local Elks Lodge, and covered much of downtown. Among their extensive preparations, the Elks “went so far as to get City Council to pass a resolution banning the carrying or use of feather dusters during the carnival, as they were deemed ‘annoying and dangerous’” (“Archives Find”).

Four double-exposure photographs show a man channeling a spirit before being visited by his own “ghost,” dressed like a monk (on the facing page); the same man, this time sporting a mustache, sitting on a sofa playing a guitar and mandolin duet with himself; and another man, seated on the same sofa, wearing a top hat, pince-nez, and umbrella and being scrutinized by his double. A later photo—evidently staged—shows a bandit in the entrance to a mine, pointing his gun at a man holding his hands up, while the “corpse” of his friend lies prone at his feet. Another photo shows a wall with Native American baskets, a mask, a large woven blanket, a large drum, wooden sculptures, and more. 

Among the photos documenting Seattle-area industry are shots of crews working on railroads, cart tracks cutting through the dense forest, laborers’ tents and cabins (often with their inhabitants posing in front), men around campfires at night, and rows of proud hunters posed with their freshly caught game. Shots of nature, in addition to tranquil views of woods, waters, and snow capped mountains, include several images showing a flooded river and the ravaged banks and heaps of trees left behind.

REFERENCES: “Archives Find of the Month: 1902 Elks Carnival” at Seattle City Council Blog online; “Elks Carnival Welcoming Arch on 1st Ave., 1902” at University of Seattle online.

Item #9337

Price: $2,250.00

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