Doug Clevenger
10-Feb-2010, 02:23
I was wondering where the most appropriate place to post a question I have regarding a bound book of individual photographs (hand printed, mounted on cloth sheets, and bound in what was once a leather-bound volume). It was evidently produced under the auspices of the Southern Pacific Company, and is entitled "Oregon Views". It has 134 8x10 pages (photographs - each titled).
I purchased it around 40 years ago in an antique shop somewhere around Placerville California, where they were going to rip out and sell each page as an individual antique picture. Back then I was into Black and White photography, as well as doing some platinum and palladium prints, so I just bought the whole book.
All of the prints are warm tinted and could possibly be Palladium prints.
The subject matter is diverse - everything from farm scenes, Rogue River at Grant's pass, old saw mills, mill of Granite Hill Gold Mine, American Goldfield Company, Soldier's Home in Roseburg, 3 page panorama of the Springfield Lumber mills at Springfield, Oregon, as well as as early pictures of the University of Oregon, Oregon Agricultural College in Corvallis, State Capitol in Salem, and downtown Portland with streetcars, wagons, and women in ankle length dresses.
My guess is that the photographs were taken in the early 1900's as some part of a documentary series done by the Southern Pacific Company.
I was wondering if anyone out there has any knowledge of such a series, and/or seen one of theses books before. I also wonder whether these are Palladium prints, because they are fairly well preserved for prints this old.
I'd appreciate any feedback.
Thanks, Doug (dlcii)
I purchased it around 40 years ago in an antique shop somewhere around Placerville California, where they were going to rip out and sell each page as an individual antique picture. Back then I was into Black and White photography, as well as doing some platinum and palladium prints, so I just bought the whole book.
All of the prints are warm tinted and could possibly be Palladium prints.
The subject matter is diverse - everything from farm scenes, Rogue River at Grant's pass, old saw mills, mill of Granite Hill Gold Mine, American Goldfield Company, Soldier's Home in Roseburg, 3 page panorama of the Springfield Lumber mills at Springfield, Oregon, as well as as early pictures of the University of Oregon, Oregon Agricultural College in Corvallis, State Capitol in Salem, and downtown Portland with streetcars, wagons, and women in ankle length dresses.
My guess is that the photographs were taken in the early 1900's as some part of a documentary series done by the Southern Pacific Company.
I was wondering if anyone out there has any knowledge of such a series, and/or seen one of theses books before. I also wonder whether these are Palladium prints, because they are fairly well preserved for prints this old.
I'd appreciate any feedback.
Thanks, Doug (dlcii)