Finding Aid for the Pacific Photo Club Collection LSC.0784
Finding aid prepared by Lena Hicks and Licia Hurst assistance from Jillian Cuellar and Megan Fraser, 2012; machine-readable
finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Online finding aid last updated 2013.
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Business Number: 310-825-4988
Fax Number: 310-206-1864
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Title: Pacific Photo Club Records
Creator:
Bunn, George R.
Creator:
Oakley, P. Benson
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.0784
Physical Description:
3.6 Linear Feet
(6 document boxes and 6 shoeboxes)
Date (inclusive): 1900-1955
Date (bulk): 1910-1935
Abstract: The records consist primarily of black-and-white photographs created by members of the Pacific Photo Club, an organization
of amateur photographers active during the first three decades of the 20th century. The collection was accumulated by George
R. Bunn, a member, and the majority of the photographs represent his work. Also included are club correspondence, personal
correspondence, newsletters, photographic postcards, and albums representing the work of members.
Physical Location: Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Restrictions on Access
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Pacific Photo Club Records (Collection 784). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young
Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Processing Information
Processed by Lena Hicks and Licia Hurst assistance from Jillian Cuellar and Megan Fraser, 2012.
Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user
interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides
a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive
processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.
We are committed to providing ethical, inclusive, and anti-racist description of the materials we steward, and to remediating
existing description of our materials that contains language
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UCLA Catalog Record ID
Historical note
The Pacific Photo Club was an organization of amateur photographers across the United States active from the early 1900s through
at least the 1930s. In addition to U.S. photographers, some participants hailed from Japan, Australia, and other areas.
The collection was accumulated by George R. Bunn, who lived in Los Angeles and who appears to have been an active member of
the photo club.
Members corresponded by mail, exchanging photographs and assembling annotated group albums. The club also organized trips,
such as camping expeditions to Yellowstone and Palm Springs, during which they practiced their avocation, and later exchanged
these photos.
The Pacific Photo Club was one of many such camera and photo societies that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century for
amateur photographers seeking to enhance their technique and the artistic quality of their images. A number of the photographers
in this collection had their work published in amateur photography magazines, including
Popular Photography and
American Photography, among them E. A. Doolittle, Arthur Van W. Eltinge, C. A. Heald, J. W. Jeffers, P. Benson Oakley, G. W. Schinkel, and Elizabeth
B. Wotkyns.
Other similar titles from the era include
Anthony's Photographic Bulletin,
The Photographic Times,
The American Amateur Photographer,
The Photo Beacon,
Camera Notes,
Camera and Darkroom,
Photographic Topics, and
Popular Photography.
In addition to submitting photos for publication, and in some cases commentary, subscribers to these publications would post
classified-style ads requesting exchange. For example, the following appeared in American Photography, Vol. 9 (January - December
1915):
"507. George R. Bunn. 1571 W. First St., Los Angeles, Calif. 3) 4 x 5Y2 prints, all kinds D. O. P. of California mountain
and marine scenery to exchange for artistic scenery preferred."
Scope and Content
The collection consists primarily of black-and-white photographs created by members of the Pacific Photo Club. The bulk of
the images appear to have been taken by George R. Bunn. Also included are club correspondence, personal correspondence, newsletters,
photographic postcards, and albums representing the work of members.
The majority of photographs were taken in the U.S., though some were shot in locations as far away as Japan, India, Australia,
and Europe. Subjects include landscapes, people, street scenes, historic landmarks, civic events (e.g., parades, rodeos, car
shows, and festivals), and artistic still lifes. The bulk of the subjects are nature related, with many photos of the American
West, including national parks and forests. The images also provide insight into the fashions of the times, in particular
women's hiking garb.
The albums compiled by members, with their attendant correspondence, document the procedures and function of this photo club.
Organization and Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 3 series.
- Series 1: Photographs, 1907-1955
- Subseries 1.1: Albums
- Subseries 1.2: Loose photographs
- Subseries 1.3: Grouped photographs
- Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1913-1921
- Subseries 2.1 Bunn, George R.: Personal correspondence, circa 1918-1921
- Subseries 2.2. Bunn, George R.: Club-related correspondence, circa 1913-1921
- Series 3: Publications, 1901-1903
Series 1: Photographs
1907-1955
1910-1935
Scope and Contents note
Photographs are mostly 3x5 or smaller, but range in size and format, including oversize prints, panoramic images, 5x7 prints,
and mounted prints.
Arrangement note
The photographs did not appear to be in any specific order when processing began. About two-thirds of them were kept by Bunn
in individual envelopes, often labeled by subject or date. These grouped photos appeared to be primarily photos that Bunn
had taken himself; apparently each envelope corresponded to a roll of film. In processing this collection, the grouped photographs
were kept together in order to reflect their context and respect Bunn's original order of the collection.
About one third of the photographs were loose and not organized by subject or photographer. There were many photos by Bunn
in this set, along with photos by many other club members, which suggests that these were chosen by participating club members
for sharing with one another. Annotations on the back of some photos support this assumption. For example, some include a
list of initials, crossed out, which corresponds with the club's practice of circulating photos among members for feedback.
Since these loose photos apparently represent the club's activity (including Bunn's own selections), they were arranged separately
from the rest of Bunn's photos.
The loose photographs have been arranged by photographer in alphabetical order, when the photographer could be identified.
Photographs by unidentified photographers in Box 3 have been bundled together when related by subject or photographer's handwriting.
Subseries 1.1: Albums
Undated, 1917-1921
Scope and Contents note
The club-related albums are three among what was presumably a much larger output, as evinced by their numbering. (Only numbers
6, 20, and 36 are in the collection.) The albums were produced by members of the club and circulated for comments by other
contributors. The contributors' notes, in the form of a sewn sheaf of papers, are included in the folder. (See Scope and Content,
Series 2.) The Japanese Souvenir Album consists of postcards from an unidentified source.
box 6, folder 2
Pacific Photo Club, Sequoia Album No. 6
1917
box 6, folder 3
Pacific Photo Club, Sequoia Album No. 20
1919
box 6, folder 4
Pacific Photo Club, Sequoia Album No. 36
1921
box 6, folder 5
Japanese Souvenir Album
Undated
Subseries 1.2: Loose photographs
1908-1955
1910-1920
Scope and Contents note
Note: Color images can be found in Box 2, Folder 6 (P. Benson Oakley) and in Box 5, Folder 5 (oversize prints).
box 1, folder 43
Bezzi, Pietro [Miller, Oscar W.]
Undated, 1912-1913
box 4, folder 1
Bunn, George R. (1 of 9)
Undated
Arrangement note
Although the majority of these loose photos (Box 6, Folders 1 through 9) are not identified with Bunn's name, the subjects,
handwriting, and wording of the descriptions on the back indicate that they are most likely his.
box 4, folder 2
Bunn, George R. (2 of 9)
Undated
box 4, folder 3
Bunn, George R. (3 of 9)
Undated, 1936
box 4, folder 4
Bunn, George R. (4 of 9)
Undated
box 4, folder 5
Bunn, George R. (5 of 9)
Undated
box 4, folder 6
Bunn, George R. (6 of 9)
Undated
box 5, folder 4
Bunn, George R. (7 of 9)
Undated
box 5, folder 7
Bunn, George R. (8 of 9)
Undated
box 9
Bunn, George R. (9 of 9)
1900-1955
box 1, folder 7
Carpenter, Harry E.
Undated, 1919
box 1, folder 11
Clark, William H., Jr.
Undated, 1916
box 1, folder 13
Doolittle, E. A.
Undated, 1913
box 1, folder 14
Eltinge, Arthur Van W. (1 of 2)
Undated, 1916
box 5, folder 6
Eltinge, Arthur Van W. (2 of 2)
Undated
box 1, folder 15
Farnsworth, Carl
Undated, 1912
box 1, folder 19
Gilfillan, Archie
Undated, 1918
box 1, folder 21
Hawkins, W. H.
Undated, 1912
box 1, folder 22
Heald, C. A.
Undated, 1915-1917
box 1, folder 24
Held, George C.
Undated, 1913
box 1, folder 26
Hoover, C.G. and Thos. B.
Undated
box 2, folder 30
Identified photographers with single photos
Undated, 1912-1916, 1919
Scope and Content
Includes photographs by Lloyd C. Robinson, L. E. Whitford, Geo. W. Teasdale, W. M. Lyon, A. J. Polaski, Otto H. Granz, James
Guy, and Marjorie Hunt, et. al.
box 1, folder 31
Jessup, Ray [R. H. J.]
Undated, 1932
box 1, folder 32
Johnston, H. F. E.
Undated, 1912-1913
box 1, folder 6
Leipziger Presse-Büro
Undated
box 1, folder 36
Locke, E. L.
Undated, 1912-1913
box 2, folder 1
Miller, Oscar W. (1 of 2)
Undated, 1910-1913
box 2, folder 2
Miller, Oscar W. (2 of 2)
Undated, 1906, 1909-1913
box 2, folder 5
Nicholson, George M.
Undated
box 2, folder 6
Oakley, P. Benson (1 of 2)
Undated
Scope and Contents note
Box 2 Folder 6 contains color images by Oakley.
box 5, folder 6
Oakley, P. Benson (2 of 2)
Undated
box 2, folder 9
Pitman, Arthur B.
Undated
box 2, folder 10
Preston, A. W. (Mrs.)
Undated
box 2, folder 11
Rice, Frank A.
Undated, 1910, 1913
box 2, folder 3
Richardson, A. J.
1913, 1915
box 2, folder 15
Smith, Ralph R.
Undated, 1912, 1916
box 2, folder 16
Soderstrum, Arthur
Undated, 1898
box 2, folder 18
Stradford, M. T.
Undated, 1914
box 2, folder 31
Unidentified photographers (1 of 5)
Undated
box 3
Unidentified photographers (2 of 5)
Undated, 1907, 1910-1918, 1945
box 5, folder 1
Unidentified photographers (3 of 5)
Undated
box 5, folder 2
Unidentified photographers (4 of 5)
Undated
box 5, folder 5
Unidentified photographers (5 of 5)
Undated
box 2, folder 23
Wahlgreen
Undated, 1918-1919
box 2, folder 26
Wolf, W. H.
Undated, 1912, 1915
box 2, folder 27
Wotkyns, Elizabeth
Undated
box 2, folder 28
Wright, Harold A. and Karl S.
Undated
Subseries 1.3: Grouped photographs
1907-1937
Arrangement note
Grouped photographs represent photos that were housed together, primarily in envelopes, some of which were mailed to Bunn.
The vast majority were not mailed, and are presumably Bunn's personal photographs as indicated by dates, subjects, and camera
roll numbers. Some other photographers' images were also grouped alongside Bunn's. Those envelopes are labeled with the photographers'
names, and have been sorted as dated and undated.
General note
Note: Some color-tinted photos are found in this subseries.
Series 2: Correspondence
1913-1921
Scope and Contents note
Personal and club-related correspondence sent to Bunn. Club correspondence includes the written documentation that accompanied
the three annotated group albums the club members produced that are in the collection. Each album was circulated with a notebook
in which members commented on each others' work. In addition, letters from the club secretary and other members regarding
their joint activities form part of these notebooks.
Also included are letters from club members to Bunn containing photographs, as part of the club's custom of exchanging images.
There are two letters from the editor of
Camera Craft magazine responding to questions regarding techniques and chemicals for photo development processes.
Personal correspondence consists of holiday greetings, wedding invitations, and a high school graduation invitation.
Subseries 2.1: Personal Correspondence
circa 1918-1921
box 12, folder 1
Bunn, George R.
1917-1921
Subseries 2.2: Club-related correspondence
circa 1913-1921
box 12, folder 2
Bunn, George R.: Club-related
Undated, 1914-1923
box 12, folder 3
Bunn, George R.: Club-related with photos (1 of 2)
Undated, 1915-1927
box 12, folder 4
Bunn, George R.: Club-related with photos (2 of 2)
Undated, 1919, 1924, 1935
Series 3: Publications
1900-1925
Scope and Contents note
These are early publications from Southern California camera clubs.
box 6, folder 1
Souvenir
1900
Creator: Los Angeles Camera Club
Scope and Contents note
Handwritten note on the cover reads, "1st pub L.A. Camera Club"
box 6, folder 1
Fotonotes
1925
Creator: Southern California Camera Club.
box 6, folder 1
Los Angeles Camera Club News
1901-1903
Creator: Los Angeles Camera Club
