Lily E. White photographs

Collection

Identifier: Org. Lot 662

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Collection consists of 43 photographs taken by Lily E. White and other members of the Oregon Camera Club between 1900 and 1905. The photographs depict landscape scenes of the Columbia River Gorge, the Pacific coast, and Mount Hood. Also included are posed portraits of members of the Klikitat and other Columbia River tribes. The photographs are mounted platinum prints and all but two of the prints are signed by the artist. Thirty-eight of the photographs are part of a tooled suede leather portfolio, which was designated Album 712 by the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. The portfolio also contains prints signed by Sarah Hall Ladd, Will H. Walker, and Maud Ainsworth. In addition to the portfolio, the collection includes five loose prints signed by Lily E. White.

Dates

Creation: 1900-1905

Creator

White, Lily E. (Photographer, 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

Lily E. White was born in Oregon City in 1866. White trained in portrait painting and art in San Francisco and Chicago before taking up photography in the 1890s. White joined the Oregon Camera Club as a “lady member” in 1898. At that time, women were not allowed full membership in the organization. However, White's technical expertise and talent elevated her to the positions of assistant secretary and demonstrator, a role in which she instructed fellow members on the art of photography. It is likely through the Oregon Camera Club that White became acquainted with fellow members Sarah Hall Ladd, Will H. Walker, and Maud Ainsworth. In 1903, White commissioned the construction of a houseboat, the Raysark, which featured several living quarters and an onboard darkroom. White lived on the Raysark during extended photography trips up the Columbia River. White died in Carmel, California, in 1944.

Source: Glauber, Carole. “Eyes of the Earth: Lily White, Sarah Ladd and the Oregon Camera Club." Oregon Historical Quarterly 108 (Spring 2007): 34-67.

Extent

0.5 Cubic Feet (1 oversize flat box (19 x 25)) : 43 black and white platinum prints, mounted; 5 loose, 38 in portfolio

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Collection consists of 43 photographs of the Columbia River Gorge taken by Lily E. White and other members of the Oregon Camera Club between 1900 and 1905.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Album 712, gift of the Ladd estate via Mrs. F. C. Trullinger, November 1982 (Lib. Acc. 16157). Loose prints purchased from Barbara O'Kun, May 1991 (PO 39348).

Existence and Location of Copies

The Lily E. White photographs are viewable online in OHS Digital Collections.

Related Materials

Additional collections related to the photography of Sarah Hall Ladd and Lily E. White include the Ladd family photographs, Org. Lot 58, and the Lily E. White negatives, Org. Lot 1415.