Miles (Ted) postcard and photograph collection, circa 1900-1967, bulk circa 1959

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Summary

Title:
Ted Miles postcard and photograph collection
Dates:
circa 1900-1967, bulk circa 1959
Creators:
Miles, Ted
Abstract:
The Ted Miles postcard and photograph collection, 1900-1967, (SAFR 23265, P94-023) is comprised of postcards depicting various maritime scenes circa 1900-1967, and photographs of BALCLUTHA (built 1886; ship, 3m: museum ship) docked at Pier 43 for display by the San Francisco Maritime Museum. The collection has been processed to the item level and is open for use without restrictions.
Extent:
91 items
Language:
In English.
Preferred citation:

[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item Number], P94-023 (SAFR 23265), Ted Miles postcard and photograph collection, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Background

Scope and content:

The Ted Miles postcard and photograph collection, 1900-1967, (SAFR 23265, P94-023) is comprised of postcards depicting various maritime scenes circa 1900-1967, and photographs of BALCLUTHA (built 1886; ship, 3m: museum ship) docked at Pier 43 for display by the San Francisco Maritime Museum. The collection has been processed to the item level and is open for use without restrictions.

The collection contains 11 postcards depicting various maritime scenes, including but not limited to San Francisco Maritime Museum vessels, the San Francisco Maritime Museum Aquatic Park Bathhouse, log rafts on the Columbia River, Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's Union Plant in San Francisco, Oakland Dock and Warehouse Co., and other west coast vessels.

There are also 40 photographs of BALCLUTHA (built 1886; ship, 3m: museum ship) docked at Pier 43 in San Francisco, circa 1959. Photographs include deck views: deck house, capstan, and rope; masts and rigging; her figurehead; and views along the hull, stem, and stern. Twelve of the photographs have "Sep 59" printed on the front, one photograph has "Dec 59" printed on the front, and the remaining prints are not labeled with dates. Each photographic image has a black-and-white acetate negative and corresponding black-and-white photographic print, for a total of 80 EA.

The collection consists of black-and-white negatives, black-and-white photographs prints, color offset lithographic postcard prints, black-and-white silver gelatin postcard prints, color letterpress halftone postcard prints, and a black-and-white collotype postcard print.

Biographical / historical:

Ted Miles (Theodore Miles) was born on April 9, 1950 to Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Beth Miles in New York City. He has one brother David, who was born in 1952. Ted grew up on Long Island and attended public school. He graduated from Long Island University in 1975 and did graduate study in maritime history at Mystic Seaport's Munson Institute in 1989. He married Arlene Schroeder in June 1984.

Ted began his career in maritime preservation at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City in 1969. It was there that he met Karl Kortum, the founder of the San Francisco Maritime Museum (SFMM). The SFMM had by that time become the San Francisco Maritime State Historical Park (SFMSHP). In 1984, Kortum recruited Miles to come to the SFMSHP as his assistant, capitalizing on Ted's knowledge of commercial sailing vessels, especially the British iron and steel vessels. In this position, Miles was in daily contact with the world's leading authorities on historic ship preservation.

After Kortum retired in 1989, Ted became an assistant to Stephen Canright, the Curator of Maritime History. Canright and Miles worked together documenting and researching the Park's historic fleet. Among other things, Ted's research led to the identification of the historic paint schemes for EUREKA (built 1890; paddle ferry) and BALCLUTHA (built 1886; ship, 3m)--the latter paint schemes having been identified as a result of Ted's negotiation of the loan of three paintings of the BALCLUTHA to the park.

In 2009, Ted became the reference historian for the J. Porter Shaw Library, of what is now called the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (SFMNHP). In this role, Miles has provided service to patrons requesting reference services as well as serving on the Acquisitions Committee for the Cultural Resources Department.

Ted and Arlene had been avid postcard collectors for many years, and have been members of the Bay Area Post Card Collectors Club since 1984. Together, they collect 25 different categories of postcards. Ted's collecting interests are primarily focused on ships and steam trains, although also include street cars and interurbans, railroad museums, early day and modern San Francisco, California missions, Disneyland, carousels, cats and dogs, Worlds Fairs, National Park Service and restoration villages. Their private collection contains approximately 100,000 cards. Miles also looks for postcards that could be added to the SFMNHP's collection, per Karl Kortum's encouragement early on in Ted's career. Throughout his years of employment, Ted has acquired and donated several items for the museum collection.

Acquisition information:

SAFR-00793

SAFR-00856, SAFR-00958, SAFR-01595, SAFR-01622, SAFR-01663, SAFR-01713, SAFR-001772

The postcard collection was established in 2011. Accessions SAFR-00793, SAFR-00856, SAFR-00958, SAFR-01595, SAFR-01622, SAFR- 01663, and SAFR-01713 were donated by Ted Miles and were the only accessions included in this collection up until 2012.

SAFR-00793, consisting of (1) postcard showing the TAHOE, was purchased by Ted Miles in 1994 from Acorn Books, San Francisco, California. He was reimbursed with San Francisco National Maritime Museum Association funds in 1994.

SAFR-00856, consisting of (1) postcard showing Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, was donated by Miles in 1994. The accession was accrued to P94-023 on June 22, 2012.

SAFR-00958, consisting of (2) postcards showing THOMAS and a Columbia River log raft, was purchased by Miles. He was reimbursed with San Francisco National Maritime Museum Association funds in 1995. The accession was accrued to P94-023 on June 22, 2012.

SAFR-01595, consisting of (1) postcard showing EPPLETON HALL, was donated by Miles in 2001. The accession was accrued to P94-023 on June 22, 2012.

SAFR-01622, consisting of (2) postcards showing Oakland Dock Warehouse Co. and Aquatic Park bathhouse, was donated by Miles in 2001. The accession was accrued to P94-023 on June 22, 2012.

SAFR- 01663, consisting of (1) postcard showing a Hilaire Hiler mural in the Aquatic Park bathhouse, was donated by Miles in 2002. The accession was accrued to P94-023 on June 22, 2012.

SAFR-01713, consisting of (3) postcards showing log rafting and the Aquatic Park bathhouse, was purchased by Miles in 2001 from a postcard show held in San Francisco. He was reimbursed with San Francisco National Maritime Museum Association funds in 2002. The accession was accrued to P94-023 on June 22, 2012.

SAFR-01772 was received December 18, 2002, from Ted Miles. He purchased (40) prints and (40) negatives at a postcard sale in Palo Alto, California, on November 9, 2002. The accession was accrued to P94-023 in August 2012, and the collection was also renamed the Ted Miles Postcard and Photograph Collection at this time.

Processing information:

The original accessions have been physically left together and are housed within the box in accession number order, with later accessions at the end of the box. The material has been intellectually arranged in the finding aid in appropriate series, while the physical locations will remain fixed. If new material is added to this collection it will be physically placed at the end of the collection and intellectually arranged in the finding aid for ease of access.

Item numbers 12-51 represent photographic images, and each item consists of two physical objects: one black-and-white photographic print and one corresponding black-and-white acetate negative. Photographs were placed in chronological order and the corresponding negative was placed with it in the same enclosure, prints separated from negatives by archival paper.

The descriptions in this collection guide were compiled using the best available sources of information. Such sources include the creator's annotations or descriptions, collection accession files, primary and secondary source material and subject matter experts. While every effort was made to provide accurate information, in the event that you find any errors in this guide please contact the reference staff in order for us to evaulate and make corrections to this guide.

Please cite the title and collection number in any correspondence with our staff.

Arrangement:
Arranged into 2 series:
  • Series 1: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park
  • Subseries 1.1: Vessels
  • Subseries 1.2: Facilities
  • Series 2: Pacific Coast Vessels and Places
  • Subseries 2.1: Vessels
  • Subseries 2.2: Places

Items 1-11 are in accession number order.

Items 12-51 are part of one accession (SAFR-01772). They were not in any discernible order, and were consequently placed in order by date printed on the prints: Sep 59 first, then Dec 59 and undated photographs last.

Arranged at the item level.

Physical location:
San Francisco Maritime NHP, Historic Documents Department
Physical description:
.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard .

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Processed by: Historic Documents Department Staff: L. Bianchi, M. Crawford, and Amy Croft.
Date Prepared:
2013
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid derived from ICMS database and converted into xml from a template revised and updated by San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Historic Documents Department. 5/9/2013 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for use unless otherwise noted.

Terms of access:

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Preferred citation:

[Item description], [Location within collection organization identified by Collection Number/Series Number/File Unit Number/Item Number], P94-023 (SAFR 23265), Ted Miles postcard and photograph collection, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park

Location of this collection:
Building E, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94123, US
Contact:
415-561-7030
Website