Walter E. Bennett photographic collection, 1937-1983, bulk 1952-1982

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Summary

Creators:
Bennett, Walter E. (Walter Edward)
Abstract:
Walter E. Bennett (1921-1995) was the first salaried photographer for Time, where he worked from 1952 to 1982. The collection consists of photographic materials such as prints, negatives and slides. It also includes miscellaneous manuscripts and ephemera related to Bennett's life and career.
Extent:
4.0 Linear Feet (8 boxes and 1 oversize box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Walter E. Bennett Photographic collection (Collection 686). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of photographic materials such as prints, negatives and slides taken by Walter E. Bennett. It also includes miscellaneous manuscripts and ephemera related to Bennett's life and career, such as scrapbooks, clippings, and letters. Bennett's photography documents public figures in Washington D.C., from Presidents Eisenhower through Reagan. The images include portraits of notable politicians and celebrities, shots of anti-Vietnam and Civil Rights protests and marches, foreign travels and campaign trails of presidents, political party conventions, and The Beatles' 1964 and 1966 Washington D.C. concerts and press conferences. Many of the images are unpublished.

Biographical / historical:

Walter Edward Bennett was born on August 16, 1921 in the London suburb of Hornsey, England. He attended John C. Fremont High School in Los Angeles, where he was first exposed to photography through a vocational training class. On November 11, 1942 Bennett joined the Army as a camera man and photo lab tech. He was honorably discharged on January 3, 1946 from the 18th Reinforcement Battalion. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Bennett became a life guard at Hermosa Beach. In 1952, Bennett was hired by Time and became the first-ever salaried photographer at the magazine. For the next 30 years, Bennett worked primarily in Washington D.C. where he photographed presidents, politicians, foreign dignitaries, events, and notable personalities. During this time, Bennett was sent on numerous assignments to photograph presidents during visits of state. Bennett's proximity and longevity in the press arena of Washington D.C. led to his befriending a number of politicians, such as Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert Humphrey and members of the Kennedy family. Bennett retired in 1982 and died on April 29, 1995.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Lisa Bennett, 2005.
Processing information:

Processed by Tim Holland with assistance from Elizabeth Sheehan in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), Spring 2006.

Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.

We are committed to providing ethical, inclusive, and anti-racist description of the materials we steward, and to remediating existing description of our materials that contains language that may be offensive or cause harm. We invite you to submit feedback about how our collections are described, and how they could be described more accurately, by filling out the form located on our website: Report Potentially Offensive Description in Library Special Collections.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

  1. Miscellaneous, 1937-1982
  2. Prints, 1955-1984
  3. Slides, 1952-1981
  4. Loose negatives, 1953-1982
  5. Batched negatives, 1953-1967

Physical / technical requirements:

PORTIONS OF THIS COLLECTION HAVE BEEN DIGITIZED. See the Existence and Location of Copies note for the link to the digitized materials.

Physical location:
Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Walter E. Bennett Photographic collection (Collection 686). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
Website