Charles Butterworth and Esther Butterworth papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 2427

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of materials of and relating to photographer and artist Charles Butterworth and his daughter, photographer Esther Butterworth. Materials include correspondence of Charles Butterworth and his wife, Etta Butterworth; writings by Charles Butterworth; correspondence and documents of Esther Butterworth, including certificates, ephemera, and a copy of her will; materials on family history and genealogy; and Charles Butterworth's photography studio logs, dating from 1911-1933 (with gaps). Among the correspondence in the collection is a letter from Charles Butterworth, 1893, describing the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago; and a letter from Etta Butterworth describing the family's train trip from Ohio to California in 1895. The collection also contains a book of minutes of the Trails Club of Oregon, 1928-1930.

Dates

1856-1975
Majority of material found within 1893-1970

Creator

Butterworth, Charles, 1858-1936 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Biographical note

Photographer and painter Charles Butterworth was born in 1858 in Mainsville, Ohio, near Cincinnati. He grew up on his parents' farm and studied photography in New Vienna, Ohio. There, he married Etta Miller in 1883. He worked as a photographer in Wilmington, Ohio, then moved with his family to Ontario, California, in 1895. In 1898, the Butterworths relocated to Portland, Oregon, where they remained the rest of their lives. Charles Butterworth achieved recognition for his artistic photographic work, especially children's portraiture, and he was instrumental in the formation of the Photographic Association of Portland. The Butterworths had two children, Arthur and Esther. Esther Butterworth (1889-1976) became a photographer herself, and was also known as a photo colorist. She worked for a time in the studios of photographer Edwin S. Curtis in Los Angeles, California.

Extent

1 Cubic Feet (2 document cases, 1 flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of Charles Butterworth (1858-1936), a photographer and painter in Portland, Oregon, and his daughter, Esther Butterworth (1889-1976), also a photographer. Materials include correspondence, family history and genealogical materials, and Charles Butterworth's studio log books. Also included is a book of minutes of the Trails Club of Oregon, 1928-1930.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in two series:

Series 1: Charles Butterworth papers, 1856-1970
Series 2: Esther Butterworth papers, 1862-1975

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gifts of David L. Davies, August 1976, Russell I. Butterworth, July 1976 (Lib. Acc. 13718).

Related Materials

A painting of Ezra Meeker by Charles Butterworth is held in Museum Collections at the Oregon Historical Society.

Separated Materials

Butterworth family photographs and albums that the Oregon Historical Society Research Library received with the materials in this collection were separated to photograph collections and cataloged as Org. Lot 1169.