Lu Jacobson Collection of Latimer and Denny Family Material
See letters, photographs and other ephemera from two of Seattle's early families.
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Unknown man in Galesburg, Illinois, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by Thomas Harrison in Galesburg, Illinois.
Identifier: spl_lj_043
Date: 1880?
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Charlie Reynolds, ca. 1880
Charles Reynolds was the husband of Emma Chesney Latimer Reynolds, daughter of Alexander and Sarah Latimer and sister to Narcissa Latimer. Charles and Emma married in 1886 in Minnesota. The photograph was taken by T. Ordemann in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The 1890 Seattle City Directory lists Charles as a boarder at 1108 Seneca St., the home of Narcissa and Orion Denny.
Identifier: spl_lj_049
Date: 1880?
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Union soldiers, ca. 1865
Tintype portrait of five Union soldiers. Likely taken during the Civil War.
Identifier: spl_lj_015
Date: 1865?
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Narcissa Latimer letter to Sarah Latimer, November 29, 1868
Narcissa Leonora (Nora) Latimer Denny was the daughter of Alexander and Sarah Latimer. She had four sisters: Eliza Alice Latimer Fowler (1856-1934), Harriet Ellen Latimer Stephens (1859-1938), Clara Latimer Bickford (1861-1934), and Emma Chesney Latimer Reynolds (1864-1946). Narcissa married Orion Denny on April 1, 1889. The letter is addressed to her mother, Sarah, and discusses attending church and Sabbath school, gifts she received for her birthday and the differences between life in Minnesota and Illinois. The letter is written from Macomb, Illinois.
Identifier: spl_lj_008
Date: 1868-11-29
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Nudes
Frank Asakichi Kunishige was born in Japan on June 5, 1878. He came to the United States via San Francisco in 1895. After graduating from the Illinois College of Photography, he opened a small photography studio in San Francisco. Kunishige moved to Seattle in 1917. In the same year, he married Gin Kunishige and began working in the studio of Edward S. Curtis where he became acquainted with Ella McBride who he worked for in later years. Kunishige was well known for his use of Pictorialism, a popular painterly style of photography. He developed his photographs on "textura tissue," a paper of his own creation, which allowed him to produce almost dreamlike prints. His work was featured nationally and internationally in exhibitions and publications such as Photo-Era and Seattle's Town Crier. In 1924, Kunishige became one of the founding members of the Seattle Camera Club, a group of local photographers including Kyo Koike, Yukio Morinaga, Iwao Matsushita and Fred Y. Ogasawara who gathered to share techniques and ideas, as well as their deep love of the medium. Although the group was initially solely Japanese, they soon welcomed more members including Ella McBride, their first female member. When World War II struck and the country's Japanese internment policy was put in place, Kunishige and his wife were forced to leave Seattle for Idaho where they were interned at the Minidoka camp. After their release, Kunishige spent two years working at a photography studio in Twin Falls, Idaho but eventually returned to Seattle due to his poor health. Frank Kunishige passed away on April 9, 1960.
Identifier: spl_art_367924_03
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The gates of Paradise
Frank Asakichi Kunishige was born in Japan on June 5, 1878. He came to the United States via San Francisco in 1895. After graduating from the Illinois College of Photography, he opened a small photography studio in San Francisco. Kunishige moved to Seattle in 1917. In the same year, he married Gin Kunishige and began working in the studio of Edward S. Curtis where he became acquainted with Ella McBride who he worked for in later years. Kunishige was well known for his use of Pictorialism, a popular painterly style of photography. He developed his photographs on "textura tissue," a paper of his own creation, which allowed him to produce almost dreamlike prints. His work was featured nationally and internationally in exhibitions and publications such as Photo-Era and Seattle's Town Crier. In 1924, Kunishige became one of the founding members of the Seattle Camera Club, a group of local photographers including Kyo Koike, Yukio Morinaga, Iwao Matsushita and Fred Y. Ogasawara who gathered to share techniques and ideas, as well as their deep love of the medium. Although the group was initially solely Japanese, they soon welcomed more members including Ella McBride, their first female member. When World War II struck and the country's Japanese internment policy was put in place, Kunishige and his wife were forced to leave Seattle for Idaho where they were interned at the Minidoka camp. After their release, Kunishige spent two years working at a photography studio in Twin Falls, Idaho but eventually returned to Seattle due to his poor health. Frank Kunishige passed away on April 9, 1960.
Identifier: spl_art_367924_08
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Arthur Bickford, ca. 1880
Photograph taken by L.E. Meason in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Clara Latimer Bickford was the daughter of Alexander and Sarah Latimer and sister of Narcissa Latimer Denny. She married Arthur Farrington Bickford in 1888 in Minnesota. They lived in Seattle from roughly 1892-1900 before moving to Oregon.
Identifier: spl_lj_037
Date: 1880?
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Waterfront at foot of Union St., ca. 1896
Transcribed from photograph: "Waterfront at Foot of Spring Street, Seattle." Location appears to be closer to the base of Union St. Vulcan Iron Works (located between University and Union Streets) appears at the left with the Arlington Hotel (located at 1215 1st Ave.) behind it. The Arlington Dock and Golden Rule Bazaar appear at the right.
Identifier: spl_lj_064
Date: 1896?
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Envelope addressed to Sarah Latimer, June 3, 1892
Empty envelope addressed to Sarah Latimer. Sarah was the wife of Alexander Latimer and mother to five daughters: Narcissa Leonora Latimer Denny (1851-1900), Eliza Alice Latimer Fowler (1856-1934), Harriet Ellen Latimer Stephens (1859-1938), Clara Latimer Bickford (1861-1934), and Emma Chesney Latimer Reynolds (1864-1946). The envelope was postmarked from Seattle.
Identifier: spl_lj_012
Date: 1892-06-03
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Native American baskets in home of Mabel Thompson, ca. 1900
Transcribed from back of photograph: "Part of Mabel's collection of Indian baskets. A corner in her room - photo by O.O.W. Denny. Mabel Thompson in Seattle." In the 1900 census, H.G. and Mabel Thompson are listed at 1108 Seneca St. (later 1204 Boren), the same address as Orion Denny. Mabel was the daughter of Orion Denny and Eva Flowers Coulter (who he married in 1874 and divorced a few years later). Mabel married Howard G. Thompson in 1894.
Identifier: spl_lj_060
Date: 1890?
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