Ira L. Swett Cyanotype Collection
Finding aid created by Sherman Library and Gardens staff using
RecordEXPRESS
Sherman Library and Gardens
614 Dahlia Ave.
Corona del Mar, California 92625
(949) 673-1880
library@slgardens.org
http://www.slgardens.org/
2017
Descriptive Summary
Title: Ira L. Swett Cyanotype Collection
Dates: 1880-ca. 1912
Collection Number: 2017_07
Creator/Collector:
Swett
Extent: 4 linear inches; 2 boxes.
Repository:
Sherman Library and Gardens
Corona del Mar, California 92625
Abstract: The collection consists of primarily of photographs of
various towns, communities and people in Arizona Territory, California, and Sonora,
Mexico.
Language of Material: English
Access
Materials are open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Sherman Library. Literary
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 Sherman
Library do not hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
Ira L. Swett Cyanotype Collection. Sherman Library and Gardens
Acquisition Information
The collection was donated to the Sherman Library by Ira L. Swett in 1974.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into the following series:
- Arizona Territory (Boxes 1-2)
- California (Box 2)
Each series is then arranged in alphabetical order by city or town name, with a few exceptions at the end of each.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists of primarily of photographs of various towns, communities and
people in Arizona Territory, California, and Sonora, Mexico. Most of the images are
of street scenes or of buildings, but there are also some photographs of piers, oil
wells, and mining sites. Several of the photographs feature people in them. The
cities and towns most heavily represented in the collection include Globe, Jerome,
and Tombstone, Arizona, and Los Angeles and San Francisco, California.
Each one is labeled with a caption written at the bottom and an identification
number in the upper right-hand corner. In some cases, the identification numbers are
used multiple times on different photographs; these have been noted in the container
list below. Additionally, some of the numbers were crossed out and replaced with a
new number; only the new number appears on this list. All the photographs in the
collection measure 4 x 5 inches.
Cyanotypes were a photographic process in use until 1920. Occasionally produced
1840-1880, most were created between 1880 and 1920. Distinctive for their bright
blue image color, cyanotypes have a matte surface and do not have a binder layer.
Most cyanotypes were the work of amateur photographers, as little commercial or
portraiture work was done using the medium.
Although the exact dates of these photographs are unknown, they were likely taken
before February 1912, when Arizona became a state. The photos may have been taken by
the father of the donor of the collection, interurban railway historian Ira L. Swett
(1913-1975).
Indexing Terms
Arizona
Photographs - Cyanotype
Cyanotype Photographs
Physical Description: 2 boxes
Box 1
Arizona Territory, Benson - Tucson
Benson, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, numbers: 134
Bisbee, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
7 pieces, numbers: 154-159, 161 (appears twice)
Bowie, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 130A
Casa Grande, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 181
Charleston, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 140
Chloride, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, number: 12 (appears twice)
Congress, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
5 pieces, numbers: 52, 54-57
Fairbanks, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 137
Flagstaff, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
5 pieces, numbers: 21-23, 312, 318
Geronimo, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 121 numbers:
Globe, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
15 pieces, numbers: 75, 98, 100, 106, 108-111, 113-115, 310, 325-327
Jerome, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
11 piece, numbers: 25, 27, 29 (appears twice), 32, 34, 39-40, 328-329, 331
Kingman, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
3 pieces, numbers: 10-12
Marvel, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 358, 361
Mesa, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 73 numbers:
Phoenix, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
5 pieces, numbers: 61, 63 (appears thrice), 64
Pima, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 124-125
Pioneer, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 103
Prescott, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
4 pieces, numbers: 46-49
Safford, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 128-129
San Carlos, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
3 pieces, numbers: 117, 119-120
Seligman, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 13
Tempe, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
4 pieces, numbers: 6667, 69, 320
Tombstone, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
8 pieces, numbers: 141-144, 147-148, 150-151
Tucson, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
7 pieces, numbers: 174, 176-180, 322
Box 2
Arizona Territory, Benson – California, Ventura
Wilcox, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 131-132
Williams, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
4 pieces, numbers: 16-18, 18 (appears twice)
Yuma, A.T.
Scope and Content Note
5 pieces, numbers: 184, 186-187, 192, 224
Nogales, A.T./Sonora, Mex.
Scope and Content Note
4 pieces, numbers: 162, 168, 170, 172-173
Arizona scenes
Scope and Content Note
5 pieces, numbers: 82, 105, 221, 323-333
Blake, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 355
Escondido, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
3 pieces, numbers: 367 (appears thrice)
Fillmore, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 236, 280
Hueneme, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 303
Long Beach, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
3 pieces, numbers: 243-245
Los Angeles, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
22 pieces, numbers: 265, 272-277, 278 (appears thrice), 291-292, 344, 346, 384-385, 376, 378, 388-391
Mojave, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, numbers: 279
Monrovia, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 342
Needles, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 1, 4
Randsburg, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
6 pieces, numbers: 365 (appears 5 times), 366
Oxnard, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
4 pieces, numbers: 237, 238 (appears thrice)
Redondo Beach, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 246
San Diego, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 368 (appears twice)
San Francisco, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
8 pieces, numbers: 260-264, 266, 269-270
San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
4 pieces, numbers: 233, 419, 421, 424
San Pedro, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 247
Santa Monica, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 227, 235
Santa Ana, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 231-232
Santa Barbara, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 293, 296
Summerland, Calif.
Scope and Content Note
2 pieces, numbers: 230, 241
Ventura
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 236
Calif. Scene
Scope and Content Note
1 piece, number: 255
