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Harvey (Bill) Collection
TBC.BHP
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Bill Harvey Collection
Creator:
Harvey, William Jefferson (1917-2001)
Identifier/Call Number: TBC.BHP
Physical Description:
22.11 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1931-1997
Abstract: The Bill Harvey
Collection features a variety of subjects representative of most of Harvey's professional
career as a publicity, commercial news, business, and freelance photographer. His wide range
of subjects include World War II promotions and pinups, the Republican National Convention,
KTTV, insurance groups, and travel companies. The collection consists of largely
photographic materials in the format of negatives and prints. It also contains ephemera,
index cards, memorabilia, correspondence, manuscripts, newsletters, handbooks, publications,
clippings, and drawings.
Language of Material:
English.
William "Bill" Jefferson Harvey was born in Nebraska in 1917. He majored in design at the
Art Institute of Chicago. In 1943, he joined Rothschild Photography, a photographic firm
under Otto Rothschild located in Los Angeles. Some of Harvey's early assignments focused on
domestic war efforts, such as the Victory House, the United Services Organization, and the
Food Machinery Corporation's Water Buffalo.
In his career, he photographed a wide range of subjects, such as performances at the
Hollywood Bowl and the Los Angeles Music Center, the Academy Awards, and professional golf
tournaments. In 1970, he went on assignment with British Airways to Fiji and Australia.
Afterwards, he continued traveling to several other countries, picking up new assignments
along the way. In 1972, he was the official photographer for the Republican National
Convention. His list of clients included Standard Oil of California, Goodyear, Chrysler
Corporation, U.S. Steel, Reynolds Aluminum, Westinghouse, Great Western Financial
Corporation, Allianz Insurance, and KTTV.
Later in life, he worked as an independent professional photographer and public relations
speaker. He was a member of the California Press Photographers Association and the National
Press Photographers Association. He acted as president for the Press Photographers
Association of Greater Los Angeles and as a board member for the Publicity Club of Los
Angeles. He had two children with his wife, Laureene. They lived in North Hollywood and
Carlsbad. He died in 2001.
The Bill Harvey Collection features a variety of subjects representative of most of
Harvey's professional career as a publicity, commercial news, business, and freelance
photographer. His wide range of subjects include World War II promotions and pinups, the
Republican National Convention, KTTV, insurance groups, and travel companies. The collection
consists of largely photographic materials in the format of negatives and prints. It also
contains ephemera, index cards, memorabilia, correspondence, manuscripts, newsletters,
handbooks, publications, clippings, and drawings. Dates of materials span the 1930s to the
1990s. It is arranged into three series:
Negatives and Slides
(1931-1997),
Prints (1940-1991), and
Working
and Personal Papers
(1932-1994).
Series I,
Negatives and Slides, contains two subseries:
Subseries A,
Alphanumeric and Numeric Systems (1939-1997), and
Subseries B,
Loose (1931-1976). Negatives vary in format and
include 35mm, 120mm, and 4x5. A majority of the negatives are in black and white. It is the
largest series. Some cellulose acetate negatives, particularly from the 1940s, were
discarded due to severe cracking from deterioration accelerated by previous poor storage
conditions.
Subseries A consists of negatives identified by alphanumeric and numeric systems created by
Bill Harvey. Index cards contain more detailed description for negatives and they are filed
according to the negative's numeric or alphanumeric ID. Researchers should refer to index
cards to obtain more data on the negatives found in Subseries A. The majority of the
negatives were originally grouped into numbered containers with the title "Old Master Negs".
Only a portion of this master set was donated, so there are gaps present in the numbered
groups, especially in the middle of the span of numbers (e.g., Group 7 to Group 12). Some
negative envelopes are empty and did not contain negatives when donated. Some were also
reused by Harvey and may have inaccurate subjects or dates listed that described the
previous negatives it had contained; sometimes this old data was crossed out by Harvey.
Folder titles include ranges of the original alphanumeric or numeric IDs, with lowest to
highest number found within each group of negatives. Folders typically do not contain all
consecutive numbers found within that range, so gaps in numbers are present. IDs that are
only numeric mostly occur in Harvey's early photography circa 1940s as well as the late
1980s to the 1990s, while alphanumeric IDs (with multiple alphabetical prefixes) commonly
occur from the 1960s to the mid-1980s.
In terms of subjects, Subseries A images consist of the following: 1) Business and
Commercial, such as KTTV, LA Philharmonic, WAIB, Bank of America, Les Cowell, Mitchell
Designs, IMS, Standard Oil of California, and Southwestern Bell; travel companies, e.g.
Princess Cruises, World Airways, and Orient Lines; insurance groups, e.g. Mission Equities,
INA (Insurance Company of North America), IIABALA (Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers
Association of L.A.), Allianz Insurance, and Sherwood Insurance Services; and business
activities, e.g. meetings, luncheons, dinners, award ceremonies, conventions, and
presentations; 2) Portraits, such as comedian Jack Benny, athlete Al Geiberger, politicians,
actors, entertainers, nude portraits, and family groups; 3) Architecture, such as houses,
hotels, offices, interior shots, and buildings, e.g. Ahmanson Theatre, One Wilshire, Park La
Brea, and Dodger Stadium; 4) Events, such as press events, competitions, parades, golf
tournaments, birthday parties, anniversaries, and political events, e.g. Madame Chiang
Kai-Shek at the Hollywood Bowl in 1943 and the 1972 Republican National Convention in
Florida with Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Spiro Agnew; 5) Wartime, such as promotions
at Los Angeles Victory Houses, USO (United Services Organization) activities at the Balboa
USO Center and the Coast Guard, Wilshire air raid tests, women aiding war effort,
servicemen, war vehicles, and nude photography during World War II; 6) Industrial, such as
dam construction and mining; 7) Travel, to such countries as Nepal and the Philippines; 8)
Personal, such as Harvey family events, portraits, and greeting cards; and 9) Landscape,
including Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, and California, e.g. Lake Arrowhead, Palm Springs,
and California Valley. Location of images vary but a majority were photographed in
California.
Subseries B consists of loose negatives that were not labeled with IDs as found in
Subseries A. Subjects are similar to the list of subjects found in Subseries A. Portraits
include images of singer Bing Crosby, radio personality Hal Berger, actor Jimmy Durante, and
musician Artie Shaw. Events include the Chinese Moon Festival in Los Angeles. Buildings
include the Bradbury in Los Angeles. An engraved wood photograph by Dick Whittington is also
present. Bulk dates are the 1940s, with images dating from the 1930s to the 1970s.
Series II,
Prints, consists of small to large prints with a
majority in the size of 8x10. Portraits are most common and include images of actors, such
as Bill Dana, Betty Jane Rhodes, and Ed Wynn; models; photographers; and politicians, such
as John F. Kennedy. Bill Harvey is photographed as a subject posing with several
personalities, including Bob Barker, Jerry Lewis, Mary Martin, and Ronald Reagan, or posing
during assignments. Other subjects include some of Harvey's significant assignments, events
such as World War II promotions to soldiers, groups such as Civic Light Opera Association,
and scenics (landscapes). Dates span the 1940s to the 1990s.
Series III,
Working and Personal Papers, consists of ephemera,
correspondence, clippings, newsletters, publications, handbooks, and memorabilia. It
contains features, articles, and published images and assignments from Harvey's career. It
contains press guidelines and public relations-related materials co-authored by Harvey
catered to certain industries and events. It also contains materials associated with his
extensive press network and activities as well as topics of personal interest and advocacy.
Dates span the 1940s to the 1990s.
Series I: Negatives and Slides, 1931-1997
Subseries A: Alphanumeric and Numeric Systems, 1939-1997
Subseries B: Loose, 1931-1976
Series II: Prints, 1940-1991
Series III: Working and Personal Papers, 1932-1994
This collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection is in the public domain. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected
by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) 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 owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
William Harvey, 1991
For information about citing items in this collection, consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
Elizabeth Peattie, 2024
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photographs
Ephemera
Documents