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Robert S. Harrah Photographs of Robert "Bob" K. Boyd and the Palos Verdes Peninsula
011
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Contributing Institution:
Palos Verdes Library District, Peninsula Center Library. Local History Center.
Title: Robert S. Harrah Photographs of Robert "Bob" K. Boyd and the Palos Verdes Peninsula
Creator:
Harrah, Robert S.
Identifier/Call Number: 011
Physical Description:
2 Folders
Date (bulk): ca 1950
Abstract: Collection includes black and white photographs of sheep herder Robert "Bob" Boyd taken by photographer, Robert S. Harrah.
Includes some photographs mounted on board. Collection also includes several press releases and accompanying photos. The
collection provides images of 1950s Palos Verdes as the Peninsula experienced a boom in residential development.
Language of Material:
English
.
Container: OV 1
Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the Local History Center for access information.
The collection is open for research use.
[Name of item], Robert S. Harrah Photographs of Robert "Bob" K. Boyd and the Palos Verdes Peninsula (Collection 011). Local
History Center, Peninsula Center Library, Palos Verdes Library District, Rolling Hills Estates, CA.
Robert S. Harrah (1925-1989) was an American photo journalist and essayist. Harrah served in the Navy during WWII and spent
almost two years in the South Pacific. During his service, Harrah met photographer W. Eugene Smith. After the war, Harrah
attended photography school and then worked as an assistant to Smith in New York from 1947-1949, before returning to work
in photography in California. Harrah took assignments from various publications including Life and Esquire magazines. The
photos in this collection of sheep herder Robert "Bob" Boyd were to be published in Life, but with the outbreak of Korean
War the project was dropped and the images were not published.
Arranged by material type; original photographs and press releases followed by exhibit boards.
Includes oversize black and white photographs of Robert "Bob" K. Boyd and his flock of black karakul sheep taken by photographer
Robert S. Harrah. Also includes photographs mounted on exhibit boards for a Harrah exhibit titled, "The Moments Past," and
two press releases for the American Karakul Breeders Society with accompanying images of actresses Peggy Lee and Peggy Dow
modeling clothing made from the wool of karakul sheep.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the Palos Verdes Library District by Ronald Goetz on behalf of photographer Robert S. Harrah.
Initial rehousing and stabilization of materials by Local History Center volunteers. Final arrangement and description by
Monique Leahey Sugimoto, November, 2022.
Background information from unpublished memoir by Robert S. Harrah.
Existence and Location of Copies
Photographs digitized and available for viewing at the Palos Verdes Library District.
Local History Center Biographical Files, Boyd, Robert "Bob" folder which includes background research on Boyd and the Karakul
Breeders Association.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Horses
Karakul sheep
Shepherds
Sheepherding
Photographs
Boyd, Robert "Bob"