Mose Cohen photograph collection, approximately 1900-1962

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Summary

Creators:
Cohen, Mose (Moses Louis) and Tribune Publishing Company (Oakland, Calif.)
Extent:
6000 photographs in 19 boxes, 3 oversize boxes (2,300 photographic prints),1 album (200 photographic prints), 1 oversize folder, 189 boxes glass negatives, 9 boxes safety film negatives, 24 boxes nitrate film negatives (6,000 negatives)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Mose Cohen Photograph Collection, BANC PIC 1964.054, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

The Mose Cohen photograph collection contains approximately 2,500 photographic prints and 6,000 negatives taken circa 1908-1962. As a whole the collection documents Oakland, California from the early 20th century until the late 1950's. It includes primarily commercial street scenes, images of buildings and businesses, people, and community events. The collection contains a large number of early 20th century boxing and aviation related images, including photographs of Amelia Earhart, Lincoln Beachey, and the 1927 Dole Air Race.

In addition, the collection includes approximately 65 mounted exhibit photographs that were accompanied by a note indicating "Doc Rogers collection", presumably indicating they are by Oakland Tribune photographer Edward A. "Doc" Rogers. They appear to have been printed mid-century, and are a variety of historical Oakland and San Francisco scenes, including several of the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906. No individual prints bear the names of either Rogers or Cohen, so the attribution is unclear. Now-detached exhibit labels identify the scenes.

Biographical / historical:

Moses (Mose) Louis Cohen was born in 1884 in New York City, moving to San Francisco as a young photographer just two months before the 1906 earthquake and fire. Two years later he became a staff photographer for The Oakland Tribune, where he worked for nineteen years. In 1927 he opened his own studio, Commercial Photographers, at 1116 Franklin St., Oakland. While the location of Cohen's studio changed several times during his career, it always remained in Oakland. Between 1927 and his 1962 retirement, Cohen photographed virtually every important person and event in the city. In addition to his photographic work, Cohen was active in the Fruitvale Masonic Lodge no. 336, B'nai B'rith, and the Oakland Scottish Rite Bodies. He died in Oakland in 1975 at age 91, survived by his wife of thirty years, Lucille. (Source: Oakland Tribune obituary. March 23, 1975.)

Acquisition information:
The collection was a gift to the library from Mose Cohen.
Physical location:
Many Bancroft Library collections are stored off-site and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
DACS

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

NEGATIVES: RESTRICTED: Available for use by appointment only.

NITRATE NEGATIVES CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS.

Terms of access:

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Mose Cohen Photograph Collection, BANC PIC 1964.054, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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