Jump to Content

Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Photographs of Alaska by Frank La Roche: Finding Aid
photCL 95  
View entire collection guide What's This?
Search this collection
Collection Overview
 
Table of contents What's This?
Description
This collection consists of photographs of Alaska taken ca. 1892 by Frank La Roche, depicting Alaskan nature scenes, views of town life (mainly in Sitka and Wrangell), and some Alaskan Natives. This collection provides insight into the Alaskan environment just before the Klondike Gold Rush.
Background
Frank La Roche (1853-1936) was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the age of seventeen, he was employed at a photographic studio and learned the trade for two years. In 1872, La Roche left for Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, to start a general commercial photography business. From 1876 to 1878, La Roche had a variety of commissions, including making negatives of the planet Mercury for the United States and French governments. His workmanship was recognized in the form of six prizes at the Iowa State Fair in 1888. In 1889, he traveled to Seattle, Washington, just after the Great Seattle Fire and opened a photo gallery. La Roche took trips through Alaska and Canada, specializing in scenic and industrial photography. Perhaps his most intensive project was photographing the Klondike Gold Rush, which lasted from ca. 1897-1899. La Roche moved his studio to Sedro-Wooley, Washington, in 1914. He retired in 1928, passing the business to his son. He died in Sedro-Wooley in 1936 at the age of eighty-two.
Extent
54 photographs in 1 box; prints 23 x 17 cm. (9 x 6.5 in.)
Restrictions
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Availability
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.