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Inventory of the Ericson Photograph Collection, ca 1885-1930
HUMCO F868 H8 E7
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Table of contents
Title: Ericson Photograph Collection,
Date (inclusive): ca 1885-1930
Collection number: HUMCO F868 H8 E7
Creator:
Ericson, A. W. (Augustus William), 1848-1927
Ericson, Edgar
Ericson, Edgar
Extent:
497 items
Repository:
Humboldt State University Library.
Arcata , CA 95521
Abstract: The Ericson Collection depicts a wide variety of everyday northwest California scenes and activities from the 1880s through
the 1920s. Lumber industry, Native Americans, city and village street scenes (primarily Arcata ), Schools, portraits, and
scenic views are the featured subjects of this collection. The primary photographer represented is A.W. Ericson with some
by his son and business partner, Edgar. More information about this collection can be found at
http://library.humboldt.edu/humco/ /infoservices/humco/holdings/ericson.htm.
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Language:
English.
Restricted originals. Use digital facsimiles or selected viewing prints only.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Humboldt State University Library. To obtain permission to publish or to reproduce
in any format, please contact the Special Collections Librarian.
Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted
to research and educational purposes.
[Identification of item], Ericson Photograph Collection, Humboldt State University Library.
Gifted to Humboldt State University beginning in 1964 by Mrs. Ella Bryan and others.
Digital Representations Available
Digital representations of all original glass plate negatives are available as a part of the Container List of the finding
aid. Digital image files were captured from originals by Octavo
(http://www.octavo.com).
This project was supported in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library
Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Librarian.
Augustus William Ericson (1848-1927) was born in Orebro, Sweden. At age eleven he started a printing apprenticeship, the same
business his father was in, and later had an apprenticeship in the dry goods business. When he was eighteen Ericson, without
his parent's approval, left Sweden and came to the United States. He first took a job in Chicago and then found work in a
logging operation in Michigan.
A.W. (Gus) Ericson took up photography in about 1879 after he had lived in Humboldt County for nine years. From 1869 - 1876
he lived in Trinidad while working in the Hooper Brothers lumbering enterprise and then in a retail store. Ericson's logging
and mill experience gave him a familiarity with the industry that worked to his advantage when he later photographed woods
workers, timberlands, and logging technology.
In 1876 he settled in Arcata and started a career as the proprietor of a series of retail businesses. The nature of products
and services he marketed changed over the years; first it was pharmaceutical and stationery, later it was a printing service,
and eventually it was solely photography. Family members joined the ventures. His brother Richard Ericson (1843 - 1924) joined
A.W. upon his arrival from Sweden in 1882. Later Augustus' son, Edgar, (1887 - 1961) joined the business. As Ericson entered
retirement Edgar and his sister, Ella Ericson Bryan, took over the business and maintained the Ericson And Company until 1955.
The publication
Eureka and Humboldt County by the R.M. Thompson & Co., published around 1896 notes, on page 89, that Richard was also considered a photographer. Newspaper
accounts in the
Arcata Union during 1908 begin mentioning that Ed (Edgar) was also taking photographs. Earlier accounts noted that Ed accompanied his father
on photo taking excursions and later accounts continue noting that Ed was taking photographs. Although Richard and Edgar did
take photographs A.W. is the one credited with the vast majority of the images taken outside the studio and as the one with
the artistic talent.
Ericson's work was widely published and appreciated during his lifetime. His images of industries, agriculture, and businesses
were used for fairs and expositions, school books, literary publications, and civic promotional purposes.
Ericson photography is the subject of two books authored by photohistorian Peter Palmquist. Extensive biographical information
and northwest California cultural information putting Ericson's work in historical context is available in each, especially
Photographers of the Humboldt Bay Region, A.W. Ericson. These works have provided most of the information for this brief biographical note and researchers will find
considerable information by consulting these sources
Edith Butler, MA, C.A.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
The Ericson Photograph Collection (Accession # 1999.02.) is comprised of the 497 glass plate negatives attributed to the A.W.
Ericson Co. and predecessor and successor names. It depicts a wide variety of northwest California scenes and activities from
circa 1880 - circa 1925. Street and town scenes, lumber industry, Native American life and ceremonies, shipbuilding, Schools,
Celebrations, landscapes, and portraits are the featured subjects of this collection. The collection is especially rich in
its portrayal of northern Humboldt County. The primary photographer is Augustus William Ericson.
Ella Ericson Bryan (A.W. Ericson's daughter) donated this collection of glass plate negatives to Humboldt State University
Library in two parts. The first one, of approximately 130 negatives, was donated around 1964 and the second one about 1970.
Humboldt State University Library's efforts to make these images available to the public date back to 1965. By that time the
effort to make new prints and 35mm negatives for the images in the first donation was underway. The next effort extended from
the early 1970s to the mid 1980s when most of the images in the second donation were copy printed and new 4"x 5" negatives
made. However the finishing steps of organizing these for researcher use were never completed.
In 1999 grant funds from the Library Services and Technology Act made it possible to assess the entire collection and to prepare
the negatives for archival storage. As it became evident that copy prints and copy negatives for the vast majority of the
collection already existed a decision was made to go forward with the long-term goal of digitizing the collection and making
the images available on the world wide web through the Online Archive of California. Finishing the organizing of the unprocessed
copy prints and copy negatives was woven into this expanded project. The various numbers that were assigned to many of the
images in previous organizing efforts have been noted in the database records.
In addition to the collection described in this finding aid the Humboldt State University Library holds several dozen additional
Ericson images in copy print format. These are arranged by broad subject headings and are available in the Library's Humboldt
Room.
During the early 1970s a renewed interest in Ericson's work began and many of his images have been published since that time.
This is due largely to the fortunate coincidence of Peter Palmquist's (then Humboldt State University's campus photographer)
growing interest in historical photographs and the Ericson family's gift of the glass plate negatives to the University. Ericson's
contribution to the region's historical record has been repeatedly acknowledged. His images of lumbering, Native Americans
and town life are widely studied and admired. It should be noted, however, that some of the images of Native American persons
and events deal with cultural and ceremonial matters and are thus considered to be sensitive.
Since Ericson's images of Native Americans are in continuous demand for documentation and illustrative purposes a few comments
about Ericson's work with Native Americans may be useful. At least two sources indicate that Ericson paid Indians to allow
themselves to be photographed. A footnote in
Pearsall's History and Genealogy of The Pearsall Family in England and America (p.1625) states:
"All of the Indian pictures relating to the Klamath River were taken by A.W. Ericson of Arcata , Humboldt County, California, from ten to fifteen years later than my stay on that river. During my visit it would not have been possible to have taken the pictures on account of their being superstitious and it was with great difficulty and the gifts of large sums of money that Mr. Ericson was able to get a few pictures. Some of them even after they had severally received from him as much as sixty dollars ran away and kept the money."
A notice in the September 16, 1893 issue of the
Arcata Union reads:
"A.W. Ericson returned from a weeks trip to Hoopa Thursday. He procured a number of excellent views of the Red-Headed Woodpecker and White-Deer-Skin dances. Mr. Ericson had to pay them $5 before he could get a picture and then had to catch them on the jump...."
At times Ericson was inconsistent in his captions, and he was particularly so when it came to attributing geographic location
and tribal affiliation for photographs of Indians. Lastly, in recent years researchers have puzzled over the photos of the
"Jump Dance" being titled "Red Woodpecker Dance." Perhaps the explanation for this misnaming can be traced to news accounts
from the 1890s (
Arcata Union September 9, and 16, 1893) and to articles such as the one by Winifred S. Fry which was published in a 1904 issue of
Out West where these images' captions give the ceremony that name.
Unfortunately the time constraints of the project did not allow for additional research. Sources listed in the Bibliography
will be helpful in researching Ericson and his era in northwest California. Any corrections or additional information regarding
the collection are invited and should be made to the Special Collections Librarian at the Humboldt State University Library.
After cleaning, the glass plate negatives were housed in double-scored glass plate negative folders of acid free and lignin
free paper. The condition of the image itself ranges from nearly perfect to seriously deteriorated. Every negative was digitized
regardless of condition. All of the glass plate negatives were retained and are now in permanent archival storage.
Thirty-eight glass plate negatives (primarily 1999.02.0466-0497) were either broken or so severely cracked that repair was
necessary before digitizing could occur. After cleaning they were reassembled and placed between two new and clean pieces
of picture glass. These materials were held together by archival quality pressure sensitive linen tape. When viewed online
the tape is visible at the edges of the images. In one image (1999.02.0472) pieces of emulsion were completely or partially
separated from the glass and by reassembling the pieces we have been able to recover the image.
The digitizing was performed by Octavo
(http://www.octavo.com/) in Oakland, California, as follows:
- Imaging specifications:
- Camera system: Octavo Digital Imaging Laboratory v1.4, lighting configured for glass plate negatives.
Image specification: 6000 x 8000 pixels at 24-bit (RGB).
Color specification: ICC Color profile with custom per-image density levels.
File format specification: Uncompressed TIF 6.0. .
Archive media: Archival grade CD-R supplied by Matsui (phthalocyanine dye with silver reflector).
Archive format: ISO/HSF hybrid CD-ROM. - Derivative specifications:
- Presentation: inversed positive (brightness inversed, color normalized).
Thumbnail size: 125 x 94 pixels
Browsing size: 700 x 525 pixels
Detail size: 2000 x 1500 pixels
File format: JPEG
Edith Butler, MA, C.A.
May 2001
May 2001
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Photography--California--Humboldt County--History.
Photographers--California--Humboldt County--History.
California--Pictorial works.
Humboldt County (Calif.)--History--Pictorial works.
Humboldt County (Calif.)--History.
Guide To Item Level Description
To facilitate use of the collection the images are grouped by geographic region as shown at:
http://library.humboldt.edu/infoservices/humboldt.jpg. Descriptive information, comments, and previous numbers for each image have been entered into an Access database. Information
entered into the database was taken from the image itself, notes on the back of prints, envelopes, and the archivist's knowledge
of the region as follows:
- Title:
- Titles were taken from the image itself, the envelope, a copy negative where it included the studio's original title, or were supplied by the project archivist. Titles not directly attributable to the photographer's studio are bracketed []. If the source of the title is unknown it is indicated by [/unknown]. Titles created by the project archivist during processing are simply bracketed [].
- Photographer:
- Photographer is listed as Ericson. A.W. Ericson's name often appears on an image and it is widely believed that he took the majority of the images. Newspaper and other accounts indicate that both Edgar and Richard Ericson took photos but there is no certainty as to exactly which ones were taken by these other family members.
- Photographer's Number:
- These numbers usually appear on the negative, but in a few instances they were taken from prints.
- Date:
- Most of the images are undated.
- Physical Description and Dimensions:
- This refers to the original negative. Black and white is abbreviated as "b&w". Dimensions are given in inches. In addition to condition, damage is noted by "cr" for cracked, "cc" for chipped corner, "bc" for broken corner and "br" for broken.
- Subject/Genre:
- Subject terms and geographical place names were drawn primarily from lists already in use in the Library's Humboldt County Collection. When necessary new subject and genre terms were added using Place Names of Humboldt County, California by Dennis Turner, Library of Congress Subject Headings and Thesaurus for Graphic Materials (1995) by the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. (The term "Essex" has been used to include Vance's lands up Lindsey Creek watershed.)
- Names:
- Most individuals are unidentified. More information is available for the portraits of Native Americans and for members of the Ericson family than for any other group of images. When a name is known it is recorded in this field and/or there may be a note in the Comments field. These names are not included in the List of Photographs, rather they are listed separately in the Related Works section of the finding aid.
- Region:
- To assist users in locating images from broad geographic areas a region designation has been assigned. Numerical values are given to nine areas of Humboldt County, defined primarily by watershed, and eight values are given to describe other geographical locations. This region categorization is also used in other photographic collections both at the HSU Library and at the Humboldt County Historical Society. A map portraying these regions is accessible at http://library.humboldt.edu/infoservices/humboldt.jpg. Note that the images are grouped in this finding aid by the assigned region designation.
- Previous Numbers:
- During this processing project the glass plate negatives were given a 1999.02.---- number. Previously assigned numbers are noted in this field.
- Comments:
- Additional information about image content is noted in this field. The source of this information is noted in this field in parentheses at the end of the other comments.
- One group of images has comments too lengthy to include in the "comments" field. These are images of Arcata taken from the
hill now occupied by Humboldt State University. These images were annotated by G.W. Ripley and give a description of the view
from his home which was near where the images were taken. They are 1999.02.0075, 1999.02.0143, 1999.02.0152, and 1999.02.0390.
1999.02.0169 was also taken from the same location. Ripley's annotations are quoted here just as they were written on the
prints.
- "No. 1
- from left to Right white streak is sidewalk that runs up to State Nor[mal] big stump laying below walk is about 16ft through
& about 30 ft long roots & all, white spot in trees is one of our neighbors house roof C Lesters then the 2 old snags on the
hill about 250 or 275 high about 16 or 18 ft through & then GW Ripleys Henhouse Horse & Barn just the upper part of the house
cant see the lower storie or the kitchen, & then Ripleys hill & wood pile where he is clearing it off, & then our neighbor
Molander down below comes Ensigns & Kjer. Kjers is the house with the white roof another Ensign in the little white house
on the north of her, Mathews up on the hill south, & the Rooff of Arnsons up by the State Normal north by the Electric lite
post, lay these all down as they are No. & keep the trees to match & you will have the view just about as you get it from
G.W. Ripleys, Arcata Calif"
[The negative for this image is not held by HSU.] - "No. 2
- no. 2 & no. 3 takes in the most of the town that we can see from here, & also the north end of Humboldt Bay, it is six miles
across the bay south to Eureka you can see some white specks over the east wharf they are Houses in Eureka there are 2 wharfs
the west one is over one mile long you cant see only just the tops of the business buildings down town so you can see that
we live in the hub sub"
[1999.02.0152] - "No. 3
- the High school almost in center & first over the right hand of the H.S. you can see the flag pole of the Grammar School down
on the lower part of town (west end of town) & the Arcata bottom on this & no 4. about 4 miles across it to the beach & it
is about 8 miles long you can see the ranch Houses & the peninsula that runs down between the Bay & the Ocean. at the right
hand upper corner is the place where they plant People if you will look abo [?] in from the right hand end through between
the groves of trees you can see the Ocean."
[1999.02.0390] - "No. 4
- This is the north end of town and also the north end of the Arcata Bottom. we can see the ocean from our house here about
12 or 14 miles along the beach was the clearest this morning that I ever saw. could see every house in Eureka as plane as
you can see Arcata on these Pictures this the 7 day of May 1916 the black is the shadow of the state normal so you see you
have the full circle it will go on either end but don't match either way look these over & show them to the Bro.s & sister
of ours & then send them to Rosses & tell them to send them back to G.W. Ripley Arcata Humboldt Co Calif"
[1999.02.0075] - [unnumbered]
- "We have a better view of this building from our house than this is. This picture will go on either end of the other 4 Pict
but it doesn't match like the others do put this one on to no-1- with the sidewalk to match the one no-1- or better put the
tops of the trees to match. & you will see that we live 2 blocks South and 2 blocks East. All of the entrance from the court
no outside doors"
[diagram of a building]
[Last portion of text and diagram pertains to the temporary building at Humboldt State Normal]
[1999.02.00143]
A.W. Ericson Photography: A Chronology
Susie Van Kirk , Historical Resources Consultant, compiled this chronology in February 2001. It consists of exact quotes from the following
newspapers:
- Arcata Union (AU)
- Blue Lake Advocate (BLA)
- Daily Humboldt Standard (DHS)
- Del Norte Record (DNR)
- Ferndale Enterprise (FE)
| AU (4 Jan. 1890) | Gus Ericson took views from the top of Falk's house which will probably be on exhibition at his store soon. |
| AU (3 May 1890) | A.W. Ericson, our photographer, has furnished the Union with the North Fork school, taken while standing on a Redwood stump at that place. The stump is 22 feet in diameter, upon which there are 42 children standing. It is a lively picture. |
| AU (28 Feb. 1891) | A.W. Ericson, the photographer, has some excellent views of Streets, private residences and business Houses of Arcata in his window. |
| FE (15 Jan. 1892) | A.W. Ericson gives photos to paper's editor of Freshwater logging train, composed of locomotive, tender and 24 cars loaded with immense redwood logs and of Arcata Wharf, moored to which are several schooners taking on cargoes of redwood lumber. |
| AU (23 Jan. 1892) | A.W. Ericson and Brother have a large lot of very fine California views, which make most elegant presents to send home. |
| AU (16 April 1892) | In the window of the Ericson Brothers, among other fine scenic photographs, may be seen a most excellent one of the Arcata Creamery. Mr. Ericson is now an expert in the science of photography. |
| AU (3 Sept. 1892) | A.W. Ericson, who has become somewhat noted for scenic photography, will soon start on a trip through the southern portion of the county, taking photographs of scenery, buildings, etc. for the World's Fair Association.... |
| FE (9 Sept. 1892) | A.W. Ericson, who is traveling through southern Humboldt taking photographs for the county's World's Fair Association, photographed Hugh Smith's three immense oxen last Thursday. One of these Animals weighs a little over 2300 pounds. |
| AU (15 Oct. 1892) | Among the excellent collection of photographic views taken by A.W. Ericson is a very fine one of the new Table Bluff lighthouse. |
| AU (28 Jan 1893) | Among the many elegant photographic views taken by Ericson is one of the new four master, Jane L. Stanford, the largest wooden vessel ever built in California. It is a beauty, and we are pleased to state that large orders have been received for copies of the picture. |
| AU (6 May 1893) | Mr. L.C. Tuttle, ranch man near Garberville, was here on Wednesday. Mr. Tuttle raised the fine band of steers that passed through town on Sunday last on the way to Vance's on Mad River. He went out Wednesday in company with Ericson to have a photograph of the band. [17 head of work oxen] |
| FE (19 May 1893) | Photographer Ericson of Arcata was in the valley Saturday and Sunday taking photographs of different buildings and scenes for the World's Fair. He photographed the Humboldt Creamery at Arlynda Sunday morning. |
| FE (2 June 1893) | A.W. Ericson, Arcata photographer, has our thanks for two very fine pictures--one of the Russ Building and the other of Ferndale. |
| AU (9 Sept. 1893) | A.W. Ericson and Fred Mager left for Hoopa Wednesday for a five days trip. Mr. Ericson has gone to secure some views of the Red-Headed-Wood-Pecker dance which commenced last Saturday. The dance lasts 10 days and all the able bodied bucks from the country round engage in it. They commence at the upper end of the valley and dance at every Indian ranch until the lower end is reached after which they finish on the Klamath. It is danced every two years, the white deer skin dance occurring in the odd years. |
| AU (16 Sept. 1893) | A.W. Ericson returned from a weeks trip to Hoopa Thursday. He procured a number of excellent views of the Red-Headed Woodpecker and White-Deer-Skin dances. Mr. Ericson had to pay them $5 before he could get a picture and then had to catch them on the jump. About 600 Indians and squaws attended but only about 60 bucks danced. |
| AU (23 Sept. 1893) | A.W. Ericson has presented this office with two handsome photos of the recent Indian dance in Hoopa valley. |
| AU (30 Dec. 1893) | The Humboldt county pamphlet contains good pictures of Devlin's tannery, the creamery, the Methodist Church, a bird's eye view of Arcata , Geo Zehndner's wheat field, the schoolhouse, the Mad River quarry, a train load of logs at Bayside, Isaac Minor, Jr.'s combination bull donkey, the Arcata wharf, the dyking machine at work near town and pictures of all the Mad River Mills and scenes in the logging woods above and near Arcata are reproduced....The price is 50 cents per copy and 10 cents postage will send it to any part of the United States or Canada.... |
| AU (28 April 1894) | A.W. Ericson succeeded in taking some splendid photographic views of the steamer Pomona as she entered bay last Sunday, conveying the Native Sons to Eureka, took three pictures from steamer Silva. |
| AU (18 May 1895) | On Sunday morning 39 wheelmen from Eureka made their appearance in Arcata and stopped long enough in the Plaza for Ericson to take a photo of their handsome faces. Then they went on to Vances on Mad River.... |
| BLA (7 Sept. 1895) | Wednesday afternoon Messrs. A.W. Ericson, H.O. Meyers and Carl Wass of Arcata returned from a trip to Hoopa valley where they went to attend the "white deer skin" dance by the Indians. Mr. Ericson had his photographic apparatus along and took views of the aborigines while dancing. They said the Indians seem to have a "high you" big time there. |
| AU (14 Sept. 1895) | A.W. Ericson and Sylvester Myers returned from Hoopa on Monday, where they had been to take in the white deer skin dance, which the Indians have held every year since the whites first knew them. Mr. Ericson obtained some views of the Indians in dancing costume. |
| AU (26 Oct. 1895) | Some fine photos of the late white deer skin Indian dance at Hoopa are displayed in the Ericson Bros. window. |
| AU (15 Feb. 1896) | Ericson has displayed in his window a picture of the power room of the electric light works. The engine and the two dynamos show up quite plainly. |
| AU (20 June 1896) | The Alliance dairymaids were "photoed" by Ericson one day this week. The young ladies looked quite charming in their bright costumes. |
| AU (20 June 1896) | [Wheelmen take ride to mouth of Mad River and have a clam chowder dinner. Mad River Billy dined with them.] Ericson caught two excellent pictures of the crowd with Mad River Billy and his trainers in racing attitude in the foreground. |
| AU (8 Aug. 1896) | A.W. Ericson has returned from a trip to the lower Klamath, where he went to procure photos of Indians and scenic views. A dance was in progress when he arrived there, the dance known as the red-headed woodpecker dance, in which the Indians adorn their heads with crowns of the woodpecker scalp. Next to the white deer skin, the woodpecker scalp is the most highly prized of Indian values. The Indians generally have a holy horror of being photoed, and when they sit at all for pictures, the privilege is based altogether on a cash consideration. Photographers are regarded as their natural enemy, and the approach of a "picture man" to one of their camps, particularly if a dance happens to be in progress, is generally an occasion for threatened hostilities against the pale face. Ericson was warned by a "friend," an Indian, not to approach the dance camp. But he was onto the scheme. The "friend" was an Indian boss, and could pacify the Indians for $5. Ericson struck a bargain with him and procured two fine pictures of the Indians in costume. He also got some fine views of the lower Klamath and of the lagoons between there and Trinidad. |
| AU (3 Oct. 1896) | Some Fine Displays at the late Eureka Fair....A.W. Ericson received first prize for his display of landscape photographs of the county. He had all his best pictures on exhibition and one could always find a crowd looking at them. |
| AU (24 July 1897) | The undersigned has opened a photo tent on the east side of the Plaza in Arcata , where he will be prepared to do portrait photography. Popular work and prices. A.W. Ericson. |
| AU (11 Sept. 1897) | The photographic views of Ericson at the Fair [Eureka Mechanical and Agricultural Fair] attract much attention. Pictures of Indian dances on the Klamath form an interesting part of the exhibit. |
| FE (7 Dec. 1897) | Last issue of Scientific American contains illustration from an Ericson photo of the big tree from Vances sent to Wm. W. Aster in London. |
| AU (12 March 1898) | The Arcata Cash Store has on exhibition in their windows a couple of photos, taken by Ericson, of operations in their bolt camps. The pictures show a couple of immense trees being worked up into bolts. |
| AU (18 Feb. 1899) | The February number of the Windsor Magazine, published in London, contains...nine of the finest redwood photographs ever produced, and they all bear the name of our fellow citizen, A.W. Ericson, who since the exhibition of his collection at the World's Fair of 1893 has received orders from all corners of the globe for his justly celebrated views.... |
| FE (2 May 1899) | A.W. Ericson, Arcata 's famous landscape photographer, was called to Vances new camp last Wednesday to take views of a mammoth redwood that was felled in the redwoods there that morning. Neil Crowley and Ben Mattress leveled the giant, which measured 20 feet in diameter. |
| AU (18 Feb. 1899) | The Feb-March number of the Windsor Magazine, published in London, contains a general write-up of the redwood forests of California, which is profusely illustrated with half-tones. The article contains views of the finest redwood photographs ever produced and they all bear the name of our fellow citizen A.W. Ericson, who, since the exhibition of his collection at the World's Fair 1893, has received orders from all corners of the globe of his justly celebrated views. Two of the photos [show Cullberg] and Foreman Chaffey felling a tree 22 feet in diameter, and the inscription beneath it reads: "felled with axes, because no saw was long enough to cut through it." |
| AU (29 April 1899) | A.W. Ericson, Arcata 's famous landscape photographer, was called to Vances new camp on Wednesday to take views of a mammoth redwood that was felled in the woods there that morning. Neil Crowley and Ben Mattress leveled the giant, which measured 20 feet in diameter. |
| AU (14 Oct. 1899) | The Crescent City News says that A.W. Ericson of Arcata has rented the Record Photograph Gallery at that place and will for a short time take stamp photos, 35 of the same in seven different positions for 50 cents. |
| DHS (31 Oct. 1899) | Giant redwood logged at Vance's on Lindsey Creek, photo by Ericson, 300 feet high; 16.5 feet in diameter. |
| AU (11 Nov. 1899) | In a private note to this office from A.W. Ericson, who is doing photography work at Crescent City, the gentleman informs us that he is doing well. |
| AU (31 March 1900) | A.W. Ericson, who has been in the photograph business in Crescent City for some months past, returned this week. |
| AU (5 May 1900) | A.W. Ericson of Arcata left on the last Del Norte for Coos Bay. |
| DNR (4 Aug. 1900) | A.W. Ericson, the photographer, writes from Bandon that he is rushed with work. |
| AU (1 Dec. 1900) | A.W. Ericson, who has been in the photograph business at Marshfield, Oregon for the past six months, arrived home this week to spend the holidays with his family. |
| AU (15 June 1901) | A.W. Ericson, Arcata 's scenic photographer, is doing the photo business at Hoopa for a few weeks. |
| AU (2 Nov. 1901) | Crescent City News--A.W. Ericson, the photographer, accompanied by his son, Edgar, will take passage on the Del Norte next week for San Pedro. Mr. Ericson came here from Arcata several weeks ago and has been doing quite an extensive business in the picture line, besides buying up Indian baskets for shipment to the East. He was also employed by Isaac Minor to take a series of views of redwood forests on Smith River and Mill Creek, recently purchased by that gentleman. We have some of the views in this office, compliments of Ericson and Son and pronounce them first-class. They have our thanks and best wishes for future success. |
| AU(16 Aug.1902) | A.W. Ericson and son Eddie, who have been absent from Arcata for nearly a year in the southern part of the state doing photographic work, arrived home this week. |
| BLA (13 June 1903) | A.W. Ericson of Arcata has opened a photo tent near the Catholic Church, Blue Lake, for a few days only and all those wishing to have their pictures taken should take advantage of this opportunity. |
| AU (21 Oct. 1903) | A.W. Ericson, the Arcata photographer, took some nice views of several new buildings on the hill last week and has laid on our table several handsome views for which he has our thanks. |
| AU (11 Nov. 1903) | Fine Views--A.W. Ericson, Arcata 's well-known photographer, has been taking some fine scenic views of Arcata and surrounding country. They were snapped from the roof of the Falk house and take in on the east the Morgan home, and the country about Jacoby Creek, while the next one takes in the moulding mill, barrel factory, and the country lying towards Eureka. There are two more views to this set of pictures that take in southwest Arcata and Bay district and several nice homes on the hill and the country lying between town and the peninsula. They are elegantly toned and would make a nice Christmas present for anyone absent from here. The photos are worth looking at and well worth having. Gus remembered this office with a set of the views and has our thanks for the same. |
| AU (13 April 1904) | Photographer A.W. Ericson has the thanks of this office of a fine photograph of the interior of the Episcopal Church, which was taken during the time the Easter decorations were up. It is a remarkably clear picture and shows every detail of the beautiful lilies and other flowers. |
| AU (14 Sept. 1904) | A.W. Ericson, the local photographer, has just issued a number of souvenir postal cards with views of the redwoods of this county and of the Klamath and Hoopa Indians on them. They are for sale at the stores of C.E. Gillis and the photograph gallery. Several of the views were presented to this office and they are a very good way of advertising this county. |
| AU (13 April 1904) | Ericson left interior photos of Episcopal Church Easter decorations at newspaper office. |
| FE (6 June 1905) | About 300 photos of Humboldt scenes are being gotten out by Photographer Ericson of Arcata . The pictures are being made for J.A. Fanning of Eureka, who will take the photographs East with him in a short time. |
| AU (4 Jan. 1905) | Article in December issue of "Out West" by Winifred Fry Webster on Humboldt Indians, photos by Ericson of woodpecker and white deer skin dances, Captain John, Hoopa reservation, Brizard collection of baskets, Mad River basket weaver. |
| AU (18 Jan. 1908) | Photographer A.W. Ericson visited the Minor granite quarry near Warren Creek recently, in company with Isaac Minor, and took a number of fine views of the quarry. Mr. Greig has a cook, an engineer, and a crew of several men and considerable progress has been made toward getting out the mammoth granite blocks for the Minor mausoleum. One boulder which is at least thirty feet through has been split up and some immense slabs have been shaped up. The plan is now to build a spur track up Warren Creek to the quarry and take the heavy slabs out in this way and bring them to Arcata over the A.&M.R.R. |
| AU (18 April 1908) | A.W. Ericson and son, Edward, will leave on Sunday, April 25th, for a months trip to San Francisco and other parts of the state. They will be at the battleship fleet reception in San Francisco and Mr. Ericson will undoubtedly secure a fine lot of pictures. |
| AU (12 Sept. 1908) | Ericson putting out post cards showing west and north sides of Plaza. Photos taken from Brizard Building by Ed Ericson. |
| AU (17 Oct. 1908) | Get Some Fine Views--A.W Ericson and son Ed returned from a trip to Crescent City on Tuesday after an absence of six days, leaving Arcata on the previous Wednesday. Mr. Ericson secured a number of good views among which were some pictures of Lake Earl Indians. He secured an excellent negative of old Mahatch and wife, who are claimed by those informed to be the oldest Indian couple in California. The squaw is totally blind and the Indian goes about on all fours like an animal. They had to be paid a good round sum before they would consent to pose, and then only after considerable "pow-wowing." The face of the old blind squaw is a study in wrinkles and the negative will make a fine postal card. Mr. Ericson secured a fine picture of an Indian maiden wearing her cap and full holiday regalia. It is very similar to the picture of the "Hoopa Queen" which Mr. Ericson has been so successful with. Ed Ericson also took a number of views with a similar camera, most of which will be used on postals. |
| AU (28 Aug. 1909) | A.W. Ericson and son Ed left on Friday for a six-week's trip to Los Angeles where they have taken a shipment of photos of Humboldt County views and Indian baskets and curios. They will put them on display and dispose of them to tourists who are generally eager for articles of this sort. The display of the pictures will be a good advertisement for the County. |
| AU (8 Oct. 1910) | A.W. Ericson has presented the Union office with a couple of views taken on this last pilgrimage to the Klamath. They were taken at Martin's Ferry and are gems of scenic photography, one is a view of the rugged old Klamath, looking towards the coast while the other is taken from up the stream looking towards the mouth of Pine Creek. The views are worthy of a place in any art collection and should be seen to be fully appreciated. |
| AU (4 May 1916) | Photographer A.W. Ericson has left at this office a set of views recently taken by his son Ed at the site of the Humboldt Normal. The pictures are to be used in a pictorial catalogue for the Normal, now being printed at the state printing office and several cuts will be made of the Ericson pictures. One is a large panorama taken from the lower corner of the site showing the broad stretch of bottom land, bay and ocean, with Eureka and Arcata in plain view. The other picture is of the new building, showing students and faculty assembled in front and both cuts will prove valuable advertising features for the school. |
| AU (14 Oct. 1920) | Edgar Ericson has the thanks of the Union office for three fine postal views of the Arcata Plaza and H Street taken during the last day of the fair. It shows the street crowded with autos and indicates a busy day in the White City. |
| AU (6 Sept. 1935) | A.W. Ericson Company advertisement says that the company was established in Arcata in 1876 and the first photography began in 1879. |
Ericson Photograph Collection: Bibliography
Andrews, Ralph W.
Photographers of the Frontier West: Their Lives and Works, 1875 to 1915.
Seattle: Superior Publishing Company, 1965.
Arcata Union.
Arcata Union, Inc.: Arcata , CA.
Bishoff, Liz. "California State Library Scanning Standards," September 29, 1999.
www.library.ca.gov/assets/acrobat/CSLscan.PDF (Accessed July 18, 2001).
Burgess, Rebekah. "Humboldt County Through the Camera's Lens: Three Photographers, Three Views."
Humboldt Historian. Fall 2000; pp24-36.
Carranco, Lynwood and
John T. Labbe.
Logging The Redwoods. Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1975.
Carranco, Lynwood.
Redwood Lumber Industry.
San Marino, CA: Golden West Books, 1982.
_____________. and
Henry L. Sorensen.
Steam In The Redwoods. Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1988.
Loud, Llewellyn. Ethnogeography and Archaeology of the Wiyot Territory.
University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 14(3):221-436.
Palmquist, Peter E.
Fine California Views: the photographs of A.W. Ericson.
Eureka: Interface California Corporation, 1975.
____________ with
Lincoln Kilian.
The Photographers of the Humboldt Bay Region, A.W. Ericson. Arcata : Peter E. Palmquist, 1989.
Pearsall, Clarence.
History and Genealogy of The Pearsall Family in England and America.
San Francisco: H.S. Crocker, 1928; Vol. 3.
Turner, Dennis W.
Place Names of Humboldt County, California: A compendium, 1542-1992.
Orangevale: Dennis W. Turner, 1993.
Publications containing photographs that are in this collection and that were published during the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Some of these contain biographical information about the photographers as well.
The Californian.
Souvenir Edition, v. 26, no.13, Dec. 24, 1910. [Eureka, CA: California Pub. Co.].
Cox, James.
Our Own Country: Representing Our Native Land And Its Splendid Natural Scenery, Rivers, Lakes, Waterfalls, Geysers, Glaciers,
Mountains, Canons, and Entrancing Landscapes, Reproduced In A Series Of Five Hundred Superb Original Photographs, In Royal
Purple Colors, with Graphic Historical Descriptions And Character Sketches, Constitution a Complete Historic And Geographic
Picturesque America.
St. Louis, MO: The National Company, 1894.
Eddy, John Mathewson.
In The Redwood's Realm: By-ways Of Wild Nature And Highways Of Industry As Found Under Forest Shades And Amidst Clover Blossoms
In Humboldt County, California.
San Francisco: D.S. Stanley & Co., 1893.
Fry, Winifred S. "Humboldt Indians."
Out West. 1904 Vol. 21: 503-514.
L&M Print.
Humboldt County, California.
Eureka: Lambert & McKeehan, 1915.
R.M. Thompson & Co., Publishers.
Eureka and Humboldt County: A Compilation of Facts for the Information of Business Men, Tourists and the World at Large.
[San Francisco]: R.M. Thompson & Co., [1896?].
Times Publishing Company.
Humboldt County California Wants Your Factory.
Eureka: Times Publishing Company, 1917.
Wave Publishing Company.
The Wave.
Humboldt County Number, v. 20, no. 16, Oct. 14, 1899. San Francisco and Seattle: The Wave Publishing Company.