Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Shulman, Julius
- Abstract:
- Representing Julius Shulman's career as an architectural photographer from 1935 to 2009, the archive documents the modern movement in architecture spanning 60 years and serves as a historical record of the Southern California landscape. The archive comprises 537 linear feet and contains more than 260,000 of Shulman's vintage and modern photographs, contact prints, negatives, transparencies, clippings, and indices.
- Extent:
- 537 Linear Feet
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
Julius Shulman photography archive, 1935-2009, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Accession no. 2004.R.10.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2004r10
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Julius Shulman Photography Archive documents Shulman's career as an architectural photographer from 1935 to 2009. The collection contains 537 linear feet (more than 260,000 negatives, prints, transparencies and related printed material) of vintage and modern photographs, contact prints, negatives, transparencies, color slides, clippings, papers and indices. The material was generated and collected by Shulman.
Series I contains indices organized numerically by job number and shoot date, alphabetically by architect, or alphabetically by client. The series also includes wall calendars maintained and annotated by Shulman as well as diaries.
The bulk of the archive documents the modern movement in architecture spanning 60 years and serves as a historical record of the Southern California landscape. Shulman's photography highlights the important relationship between architect and photographer through his strong grasp of design philosophy and his aesthetic sensibility. Series II. Architects, is rich in the projects by California-based architects such as Richard J. Neutra, R.M. Schindler, Raphael Soriano, Gregory Ain, J.R. Davidson, John Lautner and Pierre Koenig. The architects in series II. were intensively documented by Shulman and were separated out from his other projects for ease of access. Particularly noteworthy in this sereis are the photographs of Richard J. Neutra's Kaufmann House (Palm Springs, Calif.) or John Lautner's Chemosphere (Los Angeles, Calif.).
Series III. Projects includes documentaion of the Case Study House Program, sponsored by Arts and Architecture and John Entenza. Particulalry note worthy in thise series is Pierre Koenig's Case Study House No. 22 (Los Angeles, Calif.). Also included are photographs relating to the publication Courtyard Housing in Los Angeles (1992) as well as photographs for the American Institute of Architecture's Cultural Heritage Board Committee for the City of Los Angeles.
Series IV. Job Numbers, makes up an extensive portion of the archive documenting projects by lesser-known architects as well as major commercial firms in Southern California (Welton Becket, Victor Gruen, and others). While the bulk of the collection documents architectural projects, also included are product and furniture photographs for designers and other photographs relating to commercial products such as those produced by the United States Gypsum Co. and the Libbey Owens Ford Glass Company. The bulk of the archive reflects Shulman's preference for the dramatic contrast and depth of black and white film. He also was one of few architectural photographers to use infrared film. Click here for the finding aid for Series IV.
Series V. Display photographs is comprised of large format prints mounted on board or foam core. The display photographs were used by Shulman for exhibiting and publicity purposes.
The collection is comprised primarily of photographic materials and may contain black and white 8x10 prints, 4x5 black-and-white contact prints, 4x5 black and white negatives, 4x5 color transparencies, 4x5 color negatives. Other photographic formats include 8x10 color photographs, 4x5 color contact prints, color transparencies, 8x10 black and white negatives, Polaroids and slides. Some 8x10 transparencies exist; in most instances these are enlargements of existing 4x5 transparencies. Not all jobs have color photography.
Papers includes correspondence, invoices, clippings from publications, media relating to architects whom Shulman worked with or projects that Shulman worked on, exhibition materials, print request documentation, printing notes for photography and sometimes architectural plans.
Two boxes containing approximately 290 additional items (previous hit 2011.R.2 next hit) were acquired in 2011 as a gift of Ruth Wallach on behalf of the USC Libraries.
Selected photographs have been digitized and are available online: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/2004r10.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Throughout his long career, photographer Julius Shulman created one of the most comprehensive visual chronologies of modern architecture and the development of the Los Angeles region. Shulman was born October 10, 1910 in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Los Angeles, California in 1920. Throughout the 1930s Shulman used an Eastman Kodak Vest-Pocket camera to photograph historical locations in Los Angeles. In 1936 he photographed Richard J. Neutra's Kun House (Los Angeles, Calif.) and was subsequently asked by Neutra to photograph some of his other projects. Through his relationship with Neutra he was able to secure other architectural photography commissions, documenting the work of such prolific architects as R.M. Schindler, Raphael Soriano, Gregory Ain, J.R. Davidson, John Lautner and Pierre Koenig, as well as many others. Shulman frequently worked with such writers and editors as Esther [Tobey] McCoy, John Entenza, Dan MacMasters, and Barbara Lenox. While he also produced product and furniture photographs for designers, he is most acclaimed for his iconic images of mid-century modern buildings including the Case Study houses of Southern California.
Shulman's photographs have been widely published, and he produced several monographs about his work, including: Photography of Architecture and Design: Photographing Buildings, Interiors, and the Visual Arts (1977), Architecture and its Photography (1998), Photographing Architecture and Interiors (2000), and Malibu: A Century of Living by the Sea (2005). Over the years Shulman became known as a strong proponent of modernist architecture and his photographs trained the spotlight on the architects whose work he featured. He received the American Institute of Architects Architectural Photography Medal in 1969 and was made an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects in 1987. After a brief retirement in 1986, Shulman returned to work as a photographer and accepted assignments well into the 21st century. Julius Shulman died in his home at the age of 98 on July 15, 2009.
- Acquisition information:
- The main archive (2004.R.10) was acquired from Julius Shulman and his daughter Judy McKee in 2004. Approximately 290 additional items (2011.R.2) were acquired in 2011 as a gift of Ruth Wallach on behalf of the USC Libraries.
- Processing information:
-
Irene Lotspeich-Phillips registered the base collection and Lora Chin registered additional accretions. Laura Schroffel, Holly Larson, Phil Curtis, Alexis Adkins, Chris Alexander, and Aimee Lind processed the collection. Under the supervision of Jocelyn Gibbs and Andra Darlington, Laura Schroffel cataloged the collection, with Holly Larson's help on Series IV. The arrangement was devised by Jocelyn Gibbs based on Shulman's original order.
In 2011, Teresa Soleau added to the finding aid approximately 290 photographs acquired and housed separately (accession number 2011.R.2).
Also in 2011 Laura Schroffel processed and cataloged additions to the collection (boxes 1046-1164) consisting primarily of clippings and color slides. Container descriptions have been integrated into the finding aid.
- Arrangement:
-
Organized in five series: Series I. Indices; Series II. Architects; Series III. Projects; Series IV. Job numbers; Series V. Display photographs.
- Physical location:
- Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog records for this collection: 2004.R.10 and 2011.R.2. Click here for the access policy.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- International style (Architecture) -- California -- Case studies
Courtyard houses -- California -- Los Angeles
Housing, Single family -- California -- Case studies
Courtyards -- California -- Los Angeles
Architecture -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century
Architecture, Modern -- 20th century
Architect-designed houses -- California
Los Angeles (Calif.). Cultural Heritage Board
Architecture, Domestic -- California -- Case studies
Architectural photography
Modern movement (Architecture) -- California
Modern movement (Architecture) -- United States -- Case studies
Photographs, Original
Contact sheets
Color transparencies
Color slides
Negatives
Photographic prints - Names:
- Palm Springs Desert Museum
Museo Rufino Tamayo
Racquet Club (Palm Springs, Calif.)
Los Angeles (Calif.). Department of Water and Power
Miller House (Palm Springs, Calif.)
Morgan, Walls & Clements
Los Angeles City Hall (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Wayfarers Chapel (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.)
Taliesin West (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Williams, Williams and Williams
Williams, Clark & Williams.
Williams and Williams
Shulman House (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Schindler House (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Smith, Powell and Morgridge
Smith & Williams
Simon Rodia's Towers (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Wurster, Bernardi, and Emmons
Clark & Frey
Clark, Frey & Chambers
Bullock's Wilshire (Department store)
California Club (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Case Study House No. 9 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Chinese Theatre (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Angels Flight (Railway)
Beverly Hills Hotel
Buff & Hensman
Buff, Straub and Hensman
Albert C. Martin and Associates
Kaufmann Desert House (Palm Springs, Calif.)
Hollyhock House (Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif.)
Killingsworth, Brady, Smith and Associates
Hale House (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Freeman House (Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif.)
Frey & Chambers
Eames House (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Newsom, Joseph C.
Neutra, Richard Joseph, 1892-1970
Rosenheim, Alfred F. (Alfred Faist), 1859-1943
Saarinen, Eero, 1910-1961
Rodia, Simon, 1879-1965
Lee, S. Charles
Koenig, Pierre, 1925-2004
Lautner, John, 1911-1994
László, Paul
Soriano, Raphael, 1904-1988
Williams, Stewart, 1909-2005
Schindler, R. M. (Rudolph M.), 1887-1953
Smith, Whitney Rowland, 1911-2002
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959
Wright, Lloyd, 1890-1978
Wurster, William Wilson
Wyman, George
Zabludovsky, Abraham
Zwebell, Arthur
Zwebell, Nina
Clark, John Porter
Cody, William
Abell, Thorton M.
Ain, Gregory, 1908-1988
Kesling, William, -1983
Goodhue, Bertram Grosvenor, 1869-1924
Gault, Charles
Grossman, Greta Magnusson, 1906-1999
Ellwood, Craig
Frey, Albert, 1903-1998
Davidson, Julius Ralph, 1889-
Eames, Ray
Eames, Charles - Places:
- Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Buildings, structures, etc.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for use by qualified researchers.
- Terms of access:
-
Digitized photographs may be reproduced free of charge in print and/or electronic formats. Please include the following copyright notice and credit line: © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10). Be aware that third parties may claim privacy or publicity rights in these images, or rights to artworks depicted that are not in the public domain. The Getty assumes no liability for your use of these images. By downloading these images you agree that it is your responsibility to identify any potential claimants and obtain any necessary permissions for your use, and you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold the Getty harmless from all costs, charges, fees, or expenses, losses, damages, liabilities, or judgments arising from or relating to any claim, cause or allegation asserted by a third party against the Getty based entirely or in part on your use of these images.
For more information, see the Library Reproductions & Permissions page.
- Preferred citation:
-
Julius Shulman photography archive, 1935-2009, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Accession no. 2004.R.10.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2004r10
- Location of this collection:
-
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
- Contact:
- (310) 440-7390