Milton Halberstadt Papers and Photographs, 1936-2000

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Summary

Creators:
Halberstadt, Milton
Abstract:
Photographs, proofs, transparencies, and negatives of Milton "Hal" Halberstadt commericial and artistic photography. Personal and business correspondence relating to his life as a photographer. Papers include business ledgers and records, teaching slides and notes. Correspondence and memorabilia from 1936-2000.
Extent:
50 linear ft.
Language:
Collection materials in English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Milton Halberstadt Papers and Photographs , D-468, Department of Special Collections, General Library, University of California, Davis..

Background

Scope and content:

The Milton Halberstadt Collection consists of approximately 4500 negatives, slides transparencies, fine prints and photographs as well as office records, business and personal correspondence to friends and other artists. Milton Halberstadt was a food advertising and fine arts photographer. The collection consists of images made for his advertising studio and his own black and white fine art. Several of his fine art prints are included in the collection. He shot in black and white, with investigations into photograms, negative images, solarization, tone line and multiple exposures. Some of his most famous photographs are included in the collection. Also included in the collection are his photographs from a published book, Minerals, Nature's Fabulous Jewels, by Arthur Court and Ian Campbell and the negatives to the 1968, "Register and Vote" postage stamp, photographed by Milton Halberstadt, graphics by Norman Todd-Hunter, and typeface by Bill Hyde. It is a United States Postal Service stamp. It also includes art by other artist as well, including an original cartoon by Jack Keeler.

Arrangement of the Collection

The collection is arranged in five series: 1. Biographical Information, 2. Correspondence and Memorabilia, 3. Teaching Materials, 4. Studio Business Records and 5. Photography.

Biographical / historical:

Milton Halberstadt (1919-2000) had an illustrious career in fine art and commercial photography that spanned seven decades and left a body of work covering genres from abstract art to commercial photography. Milton Halberstadt, better known as Hal, was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He began his career as a photographer there in 1936. He worked for Creative Photographers (1936-1937), Bachrach's (1938-1939) and Garfield & Newcomb Studio gaining extensive technical expertise. At one point during this time, he photographed the streets of Boston for the Works Progress Administration and Boston Housing. His creativity with photography awarded him a Rockefeller Foundation Scholarship to the School of Design in Chicago in 1940. Led by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, a renowned Hungarian artist, Moholy became very influential in M. Halberstadt's life. During his years in Chicago, he assisted Moholy and Gyorgy Kepes in the printing of their photographs and photographing their work. It was during this time that Halberstadt became an expert in developing photographs. World War II interrupted this emerging career. In 1943, he trained as a navigator. He was the navigator for a B-24 bomber, which flew 11 missions over south-central Europe and the Balkans. Struck down over Yugoslavia, Halberstadt, though severely injured safely navigated the plane until it landed in Italy. For his valor, he received the Armed Forces' Distinguished Flying Cross for safely landing the plane and saving the lives of the pilot and one other airman. After World War II, Halberstadt, with his family, moved to San Francisco, opening a large format photography studio, M. Halberstadt Illustration (1945-1973). As the premier food photographer on the west coast, he changed how food was photographed and used in print. He has been called brilliant by his peers who included, Ansel Adams, Minor White, Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, and Edward Weston. During his 28 years of business, he created campaigns for Del Monte Foods, Ralston Purina, Kaiser, Spice Island, Dole, Paul Masson Vineyards, Royal Viking Lines, Qantas and the Olive Advisory Board, Dairy Advisory Board, and the Beef Advisory Board. He wallpapered his walls with his awards. The studio had a kitchen for food preparation, darkrooms, and a huge "prop loft" for the items that were used in the photography. He worked extensively with Maggie Waldron, skillfully styling food to create the best photographs possible. Halberstadt taught many classes on photography while he had his studio in San Francisco as well as after closing the studio. He gave private classes in the United States and Canada. He taught both with Ansel Adams in Yosemite and for the Ansel Adams Gallery. After closing his studio in 1973, he continued to teach classes at University of California, Berkeley, University of California Santa Cruz, California State University, San Francisco and the University of Oregon. Information about Milton Halberstadt appears in Warren, Lynne. Encyclopedia of Twentieth-century Photography 2006. Comer, Stephanie The Moment of Seeing: Minor White at the California School of Fine Arts Chronicle Books 2006. B&W Magazine Millenium Issue #5 February, 2000. Court, Arthur. Minerals; Nature's Fabulous Jewels Photography by Milton Halberstadt 1974. Kepes, Gyorgy. Language of Vison (Halberstadt is credited as Halbe) 1961, and The Editors of Time-Life Books, The Studio. Milton Halberstadt Died on June 26, 2000.

Acquisition information:
Gift of M. Halberstadt Photographic Trust in 2007.
Physical location:
Researchers should contact Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17, of the U.S. Code. All 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 Department of Special Collections, University of California, Library, Davis 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 researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Milton Halberstadt Papers and Photographs , D-468, Department of Special Collections, General 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
Website