Finding Aid to the David F. Selvin Photograph Collection
Finding aid prepared by Frances Wratten Kaplan
Labor Archives and Research Center
2000, revised 2016.
San Francisco State University
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco 94132-1722
larc@sfsu.edu
Title: David F. Selvin photograph collection
Date (inclusive): 1861-1991
Date (bulk): 1960-1980
Creator:
Selvin, David F.
Extent:
5.5 Cubic Feet
(10 boxes and 1 oversize box)
Collection number: larc.pho.0019
Accession number: 1985/002
Repository:
Labor Archives and Research Center
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
San Francisco State University
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA 94132-1722
(415) 405-5571
larc@sfsu.edu
Abstract: Comprises photographs gathered by Selvin in his role as editor of
Northern Califonia Labor, a labor newspaper he founded in 1951. The photographs were also used in several books and articles Selvin published related
to labor history.
Physical Location: Collection available on site.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English.
Material Specific Details: The bulk of the materials comprise black and white prints of various sizes. Also includes negatives, contact sheets, and half-tone
prints as well as correspondence pertaining to Selvin's aquisition of some of the photographs.
Availability
Collection is open for research.
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives and Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the Labor Archives and Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission
of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], David F. Selvin Photograph Collection, larc.pho.0019, Labor Archives and Research Center, San Francisco
State University.
Aquisitions
Photographs were donated with the David Selvin papers in 1985, accession number 1985/002.
Processing Information
Processed by Labor Archives and Research Center staff; revised by Frances Wratten Kaplan in 2016.
Arrangement
Arranged in five series: Series 1, Unions, is arranged alphabetically by union name. Series 2, General Subjects, is arranged
alphabetically by subject. Series 3, Individuals and Groups, is arranged alphabetically by individual's last name. Series
4, Published Works, and Series 5, Miscellany, are arranged as received.
Biographical note
David Selvin (1913-2007) was a noted labor journalist, historian, author and activist. Selvin was working on a M.A. in Labor
Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, when the 1934 Waterfront and General Strike shut down the docks in San
Francisco. He later wrote about this period in his book,
A Terrible Anger: The 1934 Waterfront and General Strikes in San Francisco. In 1951, after writing about labor issues for various San Francisco-based newspapers, Selvin took a job at the San Francisco
Labor Council as editor of
Northern California Labor, a position he held for nearly 30 years.
Selvin authored several books about labor history and labor leaders, including
Sky Full of Storm: A Brief History of California Labor,
A Place in the Sun: History of Californian Labor,
The Other San Francisco, and
The Thundering Voice of John L. Lewis. Selvin was also involved in the formation of both the Labor Studies program and the Labor Archives and Research Center at
San Francisco State University.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of photographs gathered by Selvin in his role as editor of
Northern Califonia Labor, a labor newspaper he founded in 1951. Other photographs were used in several books and articles Selvin authored related
to labor history, in particular, his 1996 book,
A Terrible Anger: The 1934 Waterfront and General Strikes in San Francisco.
Many of the photographs in this collection are reprints from various repositories including the National Archives, the Library
of Congress, Wayne State University, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the California Historical Society.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Labor unions -- Membership -- Photographs.
Labor unions -- California -- San Francisco -- Photographs.
Strikes and lockouts -- California -- San Francisco -- Photographs.
Strikes and lockouts -- Hospitals -- Photographs.
Labor union members -- Portraits.
Picketing -- Photographs.
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union -- Pictorial works
Photographic prints.
Service Employees International Union -- Pictorial works
Retail Clerks International Union. Local 1100 (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Pictorial Works
Retail Clerks International Union. Local 648 (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Pictorial Works
International Longshore and Warehouse Union--Pictorial works
Series 1:
Unions
1915-1980
1960-1980
Physical Description: 118 foldersBox 1, folders 1-42; Box 2, folders 1-22, Box 3, folders 1-20; Box 4, folders 1-14; Box 5, folders 1-20
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by union name.
Scope and Contents
Photographs of union officials and members at various events, meetings, protest rallies and picket lines, as well as in the
workplace.
box 1, folder 1
Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union
circa 1970s
Scope and Contents
Includes photographs of Jane Fonda with local union representatives protesting the labor practices of J.P Stevens Company,
a non-unionized textile firm.
box 1, folder 2
American Federation of Labor (AFL) convention
1915 November 13
Scope and Contents
Includes a photograph of Samuel Gompers and his wife at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, 1915.
box 1, folder 3
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
undated
Scope and Contents
Over 500 teachers, led by Ballard and Dolsen, picket in front of the Board of Education, San Francisco.
box 1, folder 4
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
undated
Scope and Contents
Jack Klugman, Ricardo Montalban and Loretta Switt at the SAG and AFTRA strike.
box 1, folder 7
Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW)
undated
box 1, folder 8
Communication Workers of America (CWA)
undated
box 1, folder 9
Farm Labor Union Galena Unit No. 26 (Kansas)
1936 May
Scope and Contents
Wives of farmer laborites in Columbus, Kansas. Image reproduced from the exhibition
Workers and Allies circulated by the Smithsonian Institution.
box 1, folder 10
Farm Workers Union
undated
box 1, folder 11
Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE)
undated
box 1, folder 12
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 1501
undated
box 1, folder 13
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
undated
box 1, folder 14
International Chemical Workers Union (ICWU), Local 882
undated
box 1, folder 15-17
International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU)
1964-1977, undated
Scope and Contents
Includes group portraits of the Executive Board of Local 8, Local 101, Local 213 and Local 214.
box 1, folder 18
International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU)
1977
box 1, folders 19-20
International Typographical Union (ITU)
undated
box 1, folder 21
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)
undated
box 1, folder 23
Marine Cooks and Stewards, AFL-CIO hiring hall
1978
box 1, folder 24
National Association of Broadcast Employees & Technicians (NABET)
undated
box 1, folder 25
Office and Professional Employees International Union, Local 3
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes two photographs of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) striking workers.
Retail Clerks International Union (RCIA)
box 1, folder 26
Local 373 (Vallejo)
undated
box 1, folder 28-33
Local 428 (San Jose)
undated
Local 648 (San Francisco)
box 1, folder 35
Picketing Liquor Barn
undated
box 1, folder 36
San Francisco Grocery Clerks
circa 1970-1980
box 1, folder 37-39
Officers and Members
circa 1970-1980
Local 1100 (San Francisco)
box 1, folder 41
Meeting with Jane Fonda
undated
box 1, folder 42
Member portraits, identified
1977-1979
Scope and Contents
Individuals are identified on the back of each print.
box 1, folder 43
Member portraits, unidentified
circa 1970-1980
box 2, folder 1
Members at their stores, GET
circa 1970s
box 2, folder 2-3
Members at their stores, Gumps
circa 1970s
box 2, folder 4
Members at their stores, Macy's
1978
box 2, folder 5
Members at their stores, Weinstein's
circa 1970s
box 2, folder 6
Members at their stores, Woolworths
circa 1970s
box 2, folder 7
Members at their stores, Zukors
circa 1970s
box 2, folder 8-9
Members at their stores
circa 1970s
Scope and Contents
Photographs of workers in various stores including Diamond Palace, Getz Hardware, Gucci, Emporium, Liberty House, Milan's,
Lightstone's, Livingston's, National Dollar, Sherman-Clay, Zacks, and The Sandwich Place.
box 2, folder 10
Negotiations meeting at Orpheum Theater
1975 July 27
box 2, folder 11-22, box 3, folder 1-6
Officers, staff and members
undated
box 3, folder 7
Contact sheets of officers, staff and members
undated
box 3, folder 10
Bullock's
1977, November 11
box 3, folder 11
Debs department store
1974
box 3, folder 15
Sears Roebuck Co.
undated
box 3, folder 17
San Francisco Federation of Teachers
undated
box 3, folder 18-20, box 4, folder 1-2
San Jose local union members and leaders
undated
Scope and Contents
These photographs were selected by David Selvin for the Santa Clara edition of the labor publication,
Northern California Labor.
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
box 4, folder 3-5
Classified School Employees (CSE)
undated
box 4, folder 6
Classified School Employees, Locals 390, 400, 715
undated
box 4, folder 7
Clerical conference
undated
box 4, folder 8
BSEIU offices in San Francisco
undated
box 4, folder 9
Hospital worker's union
1970 January
box 4, folder 10-11
Member events
1958-1975, undated
box 4, folder 12
Members at work
1956-1958
Scope and Contents
Includes janitors, window cleaners, school gardeners and school cooks.
box 4, folder 13
Member's portraits
undated
Scope and Contents
Names of individuals are written on the back of each photograph.
box 5, folder 2-3
Pension and welfare office and staff
undated
box 5, folder 4
Picketing, Los Angeles
undated
box 5, folder 5
Hospital workers on strike
undated
box 5, folder 6
Kaiser workers on strike
undated
box 5, folder 7-8
Meetings and member events
1968, undated
box 5, folder 11
Members and officials
undated
box 5, folder 13
Local 535 picketing
undated
box 5, folder 14
Stationary Engineers
undated
box 5, folder 15
Transport Workers Union
undated
box 5, folder 16
Union Label & Service Trades Department, AFL-CIO
1969
box 5, folder 17
United Farm Workers of America
circa 1970s
Scope and Contents
Photographs of Dolores Huerta, César Chávez, Joan Baez, Charlie Weirs, Water Johnsen, Jack Crowley, George Moscone and others
at various UFW strikes and boycotts.
box 5, folder 18
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
undated
box 5, folder 19
United Telegraph Workers
undated
box 5, folder 20
Western Graphic Arts Union (WGAU)
1977 March
Series 2:
General Subjects
1861-1991
1950-1991
Physical Description: 30 foldersBox 5, folders 21-23; Box 6, folders 1-27
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Scope and Contents
Photographs from articles published in
Northern California Labor. Includes picket line and protest rally photographs from various strikes and boycotts in the San Francisco Bay Area. Also
includes a 1966 photograph of grape strikers marching from Delano to Sacramento. The bulk consists of black and white prints,
with some color prints and 35mm negatives.
box 5, folder 21
Apprenticeship programs
1972, undated
Scope and Contents
Photographs of cook's apprenticeship programs at the San Francisco Hilton Hotel and the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.
box 5, folder 22
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
undated
box 5, folder 23
Conferences and meetings
circa 1950-1970
box 6, folder 1
San Francisco State College, Local 1352 of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
1968-1969
Scope and Contents
Three photographs of San Francisco State College faculty, possibly at Labor Council meetings. In December 1968, the campus
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 1352 sought strike sanction from the San Francisco Labor Council. In January 1969,
about 350 teachers from San Francisco State College went out on strike.
Photocopies of photographs from the San Francisco State Strike Collection were added to this folder as a reference for identifying
faculty members.
box 6, folder 2
Elections
1970, undated
Scope and Contents
Comprises photographs of union members and volunteers preparing for various elections by registering people to vote, canvassing
local communities, and creating outreach materials.
box 1, folder 3
Events and award presentations
undated
box 1, folder 5
Japanese relocation and internment camps
1942-1943
Scope and Contents
Includes two Dorothea Lange prints.
box 6, folder 6
Labor unions, England
1973
box 6, folder 9
Migrant workers
circa 1930
Scope and Contents
Reproductions from The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
box 6, folder 10
National Guard (Law Enforcement Assistance Force)
1955
box 6, folder 12
Public health workers
undated
box 6, folder 13
San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau reproductions
1950-1975, undated
box 6, folder 14
San Francisco Labor Council
1985, undated
Scope and Contents
Portraits of San Francisco Labor Council leaders and members. Includes clippings from
Northern California Labor listing members of the Executive Committee.
box 6, folder 15
Social security and the elderly
1961-1971, undated
Picket lines and protest rallies
circa 1960-1991
box 6, folder 16
J.P. Stevens Company boycott
1978-1979
Scope and Contents
Includes a photograph of Jane Fonda at a protest rally.
box 6, folder 17-21
Picket lines and rallies
circa 1960-1980
box 6, folder 22
Picket lines and violence
1971-1973, undated
box 6, folder 23
Protesting union busting
undated
box 6, folder 24
Solidarity Day rally
1991
box 6, folder 25
Women in the trades
1861-1980, undated
Scope and Contents
Photographs of women working in a variety of non-traditional occupations. Includes reproductions from the Women's Bureau at
the U.S. Department of Labor.
box 6, folder 27
Workers in the United States
1976, undated
Series 3:
Individuals and Groups
1951-1986
Physical Description: 120 foldersBox 6, folders 28-35; Box 7, folders 1-60; Box 8, folders 1-32; Box 9, folders 1-15; Box 10, folders 1-5
Scope and Contents
Includes prints, negatives, contact sheets, and half-tone prints of identified and unidentified union members and other individuals
at events, meetings, and protest rallies.
Arrangement
Identified individuals are arranged alphabetically by last name.
box 6, folder 28
Actors, writers, singers
1976-1979, undated
Scope and Contents
Scenes from films related to labor, including
Norma Rae, and the documentary
Harlan County, U.S.A. Also includes portraits of Carl Sandberg, Woody Guthrie, and Studs Terkel.
box 6, folder 29
AFL scholarship winners
1960-1962
Political candidates and union leaders
box 6, folder 33
Anderson, Glenn Malcolm
undated
box 6, folder 34
Avakian, Spurgeon
1959, undated
box 7, folder 6
Bridges, Harry
1951, undated
Scope and Contents
Includes a September 1951 article pertaining to Harry Bridges deportation trial.
box 7, folder 7
Brown, Edmund (Jerry)
1978, undated
box 6, folder 8
Brown, Willie L.
circa 1970-1980
box 7, folder 11
Carberry, Matthew C.
undated
box 7, folder 12
Carter, James Earl (Jimmy)
circa 1970-1980
box 7, folder 13
Cervantes-Gautschi, Peter
undated
Oversize-box 1, folder 5, box 7, folder 17
Cranston, Alan M.
undated
box 7, folder 18
Crowley, John
1976, undated
Scope and Contents
With Joseph Belardi, Jack Hemmings, and Yehoshua Levy.
box 7, folder 19
Davis, Joseph Graham (Gray), Jr.
undated
box 7, folder 20
Delaurenti, Charlie
undated
box 7, folder 25
Feinstein, Dianne
undated
box 7, folder 26
Foran, John Francis
undated
box 7, folder 28
Gaffney, Edward, M.
1960, April 11
box 7, folder 30
Gregorio, Arlen F.
undated
box 7, folder 33
Hayden, Richard D.
undated
box 7, folder 36
Herman, James
1976, undated
box 7, folder 37
Herman, Jerry Richard
undated
box 7, folder 37
Humphries, Hubert
undated
box 7, folder 38
Itliong, Larry
1965, October 6
Scope and Contents
Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) at a rally of striking grape workers in Delano, California.
box 7, folder 40
Johns, George
undated
Scope and Contents
Includes a photograph of George Johns, Secretary of the Dan Francisco Labor Council, discussing plans to unionize Chanatown's
shops and restaurants.
box 7, folder 41
Johnson, Walter
1973-1977, undated
Scope and Contents
Walter Johnson with labor leaders and politicians, including Barry Silverman, Nancy Walker, Senator Daniel Inoye, Herman Griffin,
Dick Williams, Marion Sills, Ed McLaughlin, and Cyril Magnin.
box 7, folder 44
Kirkwood, John H.
undated
box 7, folder 51
Marks, Milton
1980, undated
box 7, folder 53
McAlister, Alister
undated
box 7, folder 56
McCase, Bill
1965
Scope and Contents
Bill McCase with Cesar Chavez, Delano, California.
box 8, folder 5
O'Connell, John A.
undated
box 8, folder 6
O'Sullivan, Terence J.
undated
box 8, folder 8
Phillips, Wendell
undated
box 8, folder 9
Randoll, Rev. W.
undated
Abstract: Associate Minister, Little Zion Baptist Church
box 8, folder 10
Reagan, Ronald and Nancy
undated
box 8, folder 14
Sanazaro, Paul J.
undated
box 8, folder 15
Selvin, David
1969, undated
Scope and Contents
Includes a photograph of an Award of Merit presented to
San Francisco Labor by the International Labor Press Association.
box 8, folder 16
Shelley, John (Jack)
1966, undated
box 8, folder 17
Sills, Marion
1966-1974, undated
box 8, folder 18
Steinberg, Geraldine (Gerry)
undated
box 8, folder 26
Williams, Sanford
undated
box 8, folder 30
Identification photographs, A-L
undated
box 8, folder 31
Identification photographs, M-Z
undated
box 8, folder 32
Members at events
undated
box 9, folder 1
Labor Day parades
1982-1886
box 9, folder 2
Labor Day breakfast
undated
box 9, folder 3
Dedication of monument to strikers
1986
box 9, folder 4
Solidarity parade before the Demoratic Convention
1984
box 9, folder 5
Labor exhibits at the San Francisco County Fair
1983
box 9, folder 6
Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC)
1968
Material Specific Details: 2.25 x 2.25 negatives
box 9, folder 7-15, box 10, folder 1-5
Unidentified individuals and groups
undated
Scope and Contents
Bulk consists of black and white prints of unidentified union members, political candidates, and union and community leaders.
Series 4:
Published Works
1922-1967
Physical Description: 10 foldersBox 10, folders 6-10; Oversize-box 1, folders 1-5
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
Scope and Contents
Photographs gathered by Selvin for works he authored on the history of the labor movement, including
A Terrible Anger: The 1934 Waterfront and General Strikes in San Francisco (1966),
Sky Full of Storm: A Brief History of California Labor (1966),
The Other San Francisco (1969),
A Place in the Sun (1981), as well as several books that featured labor pioneers such as Samuel Gompers, Eugene Debs, John L. Lewis, Terence
V. Powderly, George Meany, and others.
Also includes correspondence between Selvin and other organizations related to requests for photographic images.
Oversize-box 1, folder 1-3, box 10, folder 6
A Terrible Anger: The 1934 Waterfront and General Strike in San Francisco
1934
box 10, folder 7-8
American labor leaders
1963-1966, undated
Oversize-box 1, folder 4, box 10, folder 9
John L. Lewis and mine workers
1922-1967, undated
Oversize-box 1, folder 5
Alan MacGregor Cranston
undated
box 10, folder 10
Historical reprints of garment workers and forge workers
undated
Series 5:
Miscellany
undated
Physical Description: 2 foldersBox 10, folders 11-12
Scope and Contents
Unidentified prints and negatives.
Arrangement
Arranged as received.
box 10, folder 11-12
Prints and negatives
undated
