Norman E. Riley Papers and Photographs, 1982-2004

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Summary

Creators:
Riley, Norman
Abstract:
The collection includes photographs of California, especially Davis and Sacramento, cityscapes, landscapes, still lifes, and portraits taken by the photographer Norman E. Riley.
Extent:
2.4 linear feet
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Norman E. Riley Papers and Photographs, D-550, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of photographs taken by Norman E. Riley between 1980 and 2013. Sujbects include California, especially Davis and Sacramento; the western United States; European cities; still lifes; and portraits of family and friends. The collection is primarily photographic negatives in small, medium, and large formats but also includes with silver gelatin prints from select negatives.

Biographical / historical:

Norman Edward Riley was born in Munich, Germany on January 11, 1954. He graduated from UC Davis in 1978, majoring in Environmental Toxicology. He worked for the State of California for 25 years, during this time Riley took up the 35mm camera and, through book-reading and practice, taught himself the principles and techniques of photography. He worked initially in the pictorial style and focused mainly on portraiture but also spent a considerable amount of time shooting scenes in and around both Davis, California and Sacramento, California In 1984 he advanced to large format work and thereafter, working in the f/64 style, concentrated on architectural studies and landscapes primarily in the Western United States and in Europe. From 2006 to 2011, Riley turned almost exclusively to still life work in which he combined things living or derived from living things with bits and pieces of scrap metal to produce unique sculptures which he then photographed. His work has appeared in various publications (e.g., the German periodical "Fine Art Foto," and the American magazine "View Camera"). In 2011, samples of his still life photographs were included in the permanent collections of the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art in San Luis Obispo, California and the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner, Washington. His first book, titled "Prophet Theory" was be published in 2013.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Norman E. Riley, 2012-2014.
Arrangement:

The collection is divided into six sections identified by the donor. Currently, the collection consists of Parts I, II, III, and IV. Parts V and VI will form a later donation. Part I is made up entirely of black and white 35mm negatives and selected prints from those negatives. Part II comprises 35mm color negatives and representative prints, and 120 format black and white negatives and corresponding prints. Part III is made up of 4x5 black and white negatives and related prints. Part IV contains both 8x10 black and white negatives and prints from those negatives.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Norman E. Riley Papers and Photographs, D-550, Archives and Special Collections, UC Davis Library, University of California, Davis.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Davis, Special Collections, UC Davis Library
100 NW Quad
Davis, CA 95616-5292, US
Contact:
(530) 752-1621
speccoll@ucdavis.edu
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