Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Biography
Scope and Content
Descriptive Summary
Title: Inventory of Turrill-Miller Photograph Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1905-1920
Record group:
Creator:
Turrill, Charles Beebe, 1854-1927
Extent: 4 linear feet of photographs and negatives
Repository:
Santa Clara University Archives
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Santa Clara University permits public access to its archives within the context of respect for individual privacy, administrative
confidentiality, and the integrity of the records. It reserves the right to close all or any portion of its records to researchers.
The archival files of any office may be opened to a qualified researcher by the administrator of that office or his/her designee
at any time.
Archival collections may be used by researchers only in the Reading Room of the University Archives and may be photocopied
only at the discretion of the archivist.
Publications Rights
Permission to copy or publish any portion of the Archives' materials must be given by the Archives.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Turrill-Miller Photograph Collection, Santa Clara University. University Archives.
Biography
Charles Beebe Turrill was born March 6, 1854, and died in 1927. He began his work as an amateur photographer in 1886, and
started a professional business around 1900 in San Francisco. His work at Santa Clara College, later Santa Clara University,
reflect his interest in photography as a form of historical documentation. As quoted in the San Francisco Call and Post, Sept.
17, 1921, Turrill explained, "I am fighting to preservethe history of California - for the accuracy of historic records."
He spent time at Santa Clara restoring photographs damaged in a fire in the Fathers' residence hall, 1909, and took other
photographs himself "to show present conditions, the building of a new residence and senior hall and the class pictures."
(Correspondence from Turrill to J. Perkins Tracy, April 8, 1914, Society of California Pioneers)
Scope and Content
The Turrill-Miller Photograph Collection is a collection of images that captures campus life and the built environment of
Santa Clara College from 1905-1920. During that time, Charles Beebe Turrill, of the photography firm of Turrill & Miller photographers,
photographed student organizations, construction of new buildings, individual portraits, and sports events. The period was
defined by dramatic changes in the built environment. As such, the majority of the collection comprises images of campus buildings.
The Collection includes approximately 4 linear feet of photographs and glass negatives. Image sizes include 8x10 and 11x13.