Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Charles Lummis Photographs
- Dates:
- circa 1888-1905
- Creators:
- Lummis, Charles Fletcher, 1859-1928
- Abstract:
- The Charles Lummis Photographs include cyanotypes and albumen print photographs from 1888 to 1905. An author, editor, explorer, and supporter of Native American culture Charles Lummis documented scenes and people throughout the American Southwest and Central and South America. The bulk of the collection focuses on Peru, Native Americans in New Mexico, central Mexico, the San Fernando Mission in California, and portraits of friends and acquaintances of Lummis.
- Extent:
- 3.8 Linear Feet (5 flat boxes)
- Language:
- Languages represented in the collection: English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Charles Lummis Photographs (H.Mss.0487). Special Collections and Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library, The Claremont Colleges Services, Claremont, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Charles Lummis Photographs are a mixture of cyanotypes and albumen prints taken between 1888 and 1905. There are 316 unique images in the collection with many of the prints having multiple copies. The photographs were taken by Charles Lummis, except for a noted few that appear to have been given to Lummis by friends or acquaintances.
The bulk of the photographs cover Lummis' trip to Peru with the archaeologist, Adolph Bandelier, Native Americans in New Mexico, central Mexico, the San Fernando Mission in California, and portraits of friends and acquaintances of Lummis.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Charles Fletcher Lummis (March 1, 1859 - November 25, 1928) author, editor, and explorer was a lifetime supporter of Native American culture and worked to preserve national landmarks such as the California missions. Lummis is known for numerous undertakings, including City Editor of the Los Angeles Times, City Librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library, editor of The Land of Sunshine (later retitled Out West), and founder of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian. Charles Lummis was also an avid and prolific photographer, documenting his travels across the Southwest and trips south of the American border. He commonly printed cyanotypes, a process that was relatively portable and easy to do, and many of his photographs regularly appeared in The Land of Sunshine and Out West.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Don Meadows, 1985.
- Processing information:
-
The Charles Lummis Photographs originally came to Special Collections as part of the Marion Parks Papers. For clarity between the Parks and Lummis materials, it was decided to divide the Parks collection into two distinct collections: the Marion Parks Papers and Charles Lummis Photographs.
Most of the photographs were identified by captions or inscriptions on verso of the print, usually in Charles Lummis' writing. Photographs that did not have a caption or any clues that revealed the location or individual were identified, when possible, through matching the image in publications of Lummis' photographs.
Sources referenced:
- Autry National Center, Southwest Museum of the American Indian. "Collections Online" http://www.autrynationalcenter.org/collections/ (visited July 19, 2006).
- Fiske, Turbese Lummis and Keith Lummis. Charles F. Lummis: The Man and his West. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1975.
- Gordon, Dudley. Charles F. Lummis: Crusader in Corduroy. [Los Angeles] Cultural Assets Press [1972].
- Moneta, Daniela P., ed. Chas. F. Lummis: the centennial exhibition commemorating his tramp across the continent. Los Angeles: Southwest Museum, 1985.
- Arrangement:
-
The photographs are divided by geographic location or subject mater with the following series:
- Series 1: Southwest, USA
- Series 2: Mexico
- Series 3: Guatemala
- Series 4: Ecuador
- Series 5: Peru
- Series 6: California
- Series 7: American Indian and Southwest Collections of Objects
- Series 8: Lummis Family and Acquaintances
- Series 9: Eucalyptus Flowers
- Series 10: Unidentified Landscapes
- Series 11: Paintings
- Accruals:
-
No additions to the collection are anticipated.
- Physical location:
- Please consult repository.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- © 2024
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-07-02 14:50:05 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
All requests for permission to publish must be submitted in writing to Special Collections.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Charles Lummis Photographs (H.Mss.0487). Special Collections and Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library, The Claremont Colleges Services, Claremont, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
800 N. Dartmouth Ave.Claremont, CA 91711, US
- Contact:
- (909) 607‑3977