Photography

The millions of photographs in the Museum's collections compose a vast mosaic of the nation's history. Photographs accompany most artifact collections. Thousands of images document engineering projects, for example, and more record the steel, petroleum, and railroad industries.

Some 150,000 images capture the history, art, and science of photography. Nineteenth-century photography, from its initial development by W. H. F. Talbot and Louis Daguerre, is especially well represented and includes cased images, paper photographs, and apparatus. Glass stereographs and news-service negatives by the Underwood & Underwood firm document life in America between the 1890s and the 1930s. The history of amateur photography and photojournalism are preserved here, along with the work of 20th-century masters such as Richard Avedon and Edward Weston. Thousands of cameras and other equipment represent the technical and business side of the field.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1958
maker
Avedon, Richard
ID Number
PG.006926E
catalog number
6926-E
accession number
246041
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.003856.1236
catalog number
3856.1236
accession number
98473
Gelatin Silver Print by Charles Rushton of David Michael Kennedy, 1992, Galisteo, NM.Black and white portrait of a man with long hair in two braids wearing a dark cowboy hat with a metal studded band.
Description (Brief)
Gelatin Silver Print by Charles Rushton of David Michael Kennedy, 1992, Galisteo, NM.
Black and white portrait of a man with long hair in two braids wearing a dark cowboy hat with a metal studded band. Man is also wearing two necklaces, a striped button up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, jeans, a belt, a bracelet on his left wrist and a wedding ring. He is standing with one knee elevated, crossing his arms over his leg. Behind him is a wall of framed prints too blurred to determine details. Recto: signed, titled and dated by artist.
Description
Charles Rushton is an American photographer that made portraits of New Mexico photographers between the years of 1980 and 1994. This particular collection consists of 38 prints: twenty-nine- 8"x10" gelatin silver prints and nine- 8½"x11" inkjet prints acquired from the photographer. The collection includes photographers Tom Barrows, Van Deren Coke, Betty Hahn, David Michael Kennedy, Patrick Nagatani, Beaumont Newhall and Joel-Peter Witkin. The earliest print in this collection is of Manuel Carrillo in 1982, and the last piece added to the collection is of Holly Roberts in 1994.
Rushton chose this particular project after attending a Zone VI workshop offered by Fred Picker in Vermont in 1980. While at the workshop Rushton was given specific advice to pick a topic and stick to it instead of switching random topics every day. This was when Rushton had the idea to photograph artists and photographers upon returning home to New Mexico. With the help of photographer friend, Bob Hooten, Rushton was able to obtain the names of photographers that suited the parameters of his project. After a few years, the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History purchased several of Rushton's prints for their collection of portraits of New Mexico Artists and expressed interest in seeing his future work. With the permission of the museum, Rushton used the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History name to help him gain influence and access to more famous photographers such as Beaumont Newhall.
Rushton studied photography under Fred Picker, Oliver Gagliani (depicted in the collection) and Arnold Newman (depicted in the collection). Rushton holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lawrence University, a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from St. Thomas University, a Master of Arts in Library Science degree from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Fine Arts in Photography degree from the University of Oklahoma. Rushton is currently a professor of digital photography at Oklahoma City Community College and Moore-Norman Technology Center.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1992
maker
Rushton, Charles R.
ID Number
2008.0178.17
catalog number
2008.0178.17
accession number
2008.0178
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1950
maker
Laughlin, Clarence John
ID Number
PG.006300
catalog number
6300
accession number
237938
date made
mid-late 1800s
ID Number
2012.3033.3421
nonaccession number
2012.3033
catalog number
2012.3033.3421
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002772
catalog number
2772
accession number
65115
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1884-1886
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.003856.0430
accession number
98473
catalog number
3856.0430
maker number
832
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.003856.1133
catalog number
3856.1133
accession number
98473
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.133
catalog number
2014.0112.133
accession number
2014.0112
date made
mid-late 1800s
ID Number
2012.3033.3472
nonaccession number
2012.3033
catalog number
2012.3033.3472
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.003856.1238
catalog number
3856.1238
accession number
98473
date made
mid-late 1800s
ID Number
2012.3033.1721
nonaccession number
2012.3033
catalog number
2012.3033.1721
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Fraprie, Frank R.
ID Number
PG.004270F
accession number
164134
catalog number
4270F
Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr. (1862–1932) used a wide variety of printing processes, printing out some negatives in more than one medium.
Description
Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr. (1862–1932) used a wide variety of printing processes, printing out some negatives in more than one medium. In his lectures, he pointed out that this approach to photography was important because in the hands of a photographer who “lives and understands the infinitely varied moods of nature, photography can be made to express and interpret them.” In correspondence with Dr. Olmstead at the Smithsonian, as the presentation of his gifts and bequest to the museum was being arranged, Eickemeyer wrote: “The collection illustrates the use of every important process and will, I believe, be of real educational value.”
The first of the Eickemeyer photographic collection came to the National Museum’s Department of Arts and Industries (the “Castle”), Division of Graphic Arts in 1922 at the close of a large exhibition of Eickemeyer’s work at the Anderson Gallery in New York. It was a gift from the photographer of five framed prints from the New York show that he considered representative of his work.
In 1929, Eickemeyer gave the Smithsonian 83 framed prints (including copies of the prints that he had previously given the museum), 15 portfolios, his medals and awards, and several miscellaneous photographic paraphernalia. In 1930, he made a will bequeathing most of his remaining prints, negatives, photographic equipment and other objects relating to his 30-year career as a photographer to the Smithsonian Institution.
Upon Eickemeyer’s death in 1932, an accession consisting primarily of photographic equipment from his studio came to the Smithsonian. Included in the bequest were 2 cameras, several lenses, scales, timers, printing frames, plate holders, dry mounters and a lecture case with slide projector and hand-colored lantern slides. Also included were 43 albums, journals and portfolios and assorted negatives and contact prints, many marked “discards.” There are 58 albums, notebooks and portfolios in the collection. Eickemeyer requested in his will that his gifts and bequests be called The Rudolf Eickemeyer, Jr. Collection.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1900-1910
maker
Eickemeyer, Jr., Rudolf
ID Number
PG.004135.B020.092
catalog number
4135.B20.92
accession number
128483
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Avedon, Richard
ID Number
PG.007012
catalog number
7012
accession number
246871
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970-1980s
maker
Baughman, J. Ross
ID Number
2010.0231.01.106
catalog number
2010.0231.01.106
accession number
2010.0231
date made
mid-late 1800s
ID Number
2012.3033.2303
nonaccession number
2012.3033
catalog number
2012.3033.2303
date made
mid-late 1800s
ID Number
2012.3033.3280
nonaccession number
2012.3033
catalog number
2012.3033.3280
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002572
catalog number
2572
accession number
65115
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002622
catalog number
2622
accession number
65115
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002871
catalog number
2871
accession number
65115
date made
mid-late 1800s
ID Number
2012.3033.3297
nonaccession number
2012.3033
catalog number
2012.3033.3297
date made
1887
maker
Muybridge, Eadweard
ID Number
PG.002804
catalog number
2804
accession number
65115
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
maker
ITEK Corporation
ID Number
PG.72.86.001
catalog number
72.86.1

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