Paul Dorpat Collection
Browse photographs from the Paul Dorpat Collection which documents the history of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. At this time, a small sampling of images has been digitized while the collection is actively being processed.
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Baist's Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Wash - Plate 9
Baist Real Estate atlases of Seattle were published in 1905, 1908, and 1912. The atlases show property ownership (for large tracts), plats, block and lot numbers, streets, buildings, sewers, water mains, electric railways, and steam railroads.
Identifier: spl_maps_341191.9
Date: 1905
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Olympic National Life Building demolition, March 28, 1982
The aftermath of Seattle's first implosion demolition in Seattle. Onlookers gaze at the remaining two stories of the Olympic National Life Building after the implosion.
Identifier: spl_dor_00026
Date: 1982-03-28
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Samuel McKinney Interview, August 17, 1987
Reverend Samuel McKinney (1926-2018) was pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church for 40 years and a major leader in Seattle’s civil rights movement. McKinney was born in Flint, Michigan and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He served in the Air Force during World War II and in 1949 graduated from Morehouse College where one of his classmates was Martin Luther King Jr. In 1952 he graduated from Colgate Rochester Divinity School and in 1953 married his wife Louise. Together the couple moved to Seattle in 1958 where McKinney became the pastor of Mt. Zion. McKinney was a tireless advocate for social and civil rights causes. He was one of the founders of the Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center, an organization providing job training; helped start Seattle’s first black-owned bank to help community members obtain home loans after discirimation from other banks; advocated for Seattle’s fair housing act as a member of the Seattle Human Rights Commission and participated in civil rights marches and demonstrations nationwide.
Identifier: spl_ds_smckinney_01
Date: 1987-08-17
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Pioneer Building interior, February 5, 1975
Staircase and offices in the interior of the Pioneer Building in Seattle, Washington.
Identifier: spl_dor_00014
Date: 1975-02-05
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Japanese Tea Garden, Arboretum, June 11, 1967
Pond at the Seattle Japanese Garden (opened in 1960) located in the Washington Park Arboretum
Identifier: spl_dor_00042
Date: 1967-06-11
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Unknown woman in Portland, Oregon, 1881
Photograph taken by Frank G. Abell in Portland, Oregon.
Identifier: spl_lj_051
Date: 1881
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Kenneth Callahan Interview, 1984
Kenneth Callahan (1905-1986) was a noted Washington artist, known for his work in painting and sculpture. Together with Mark Tobey, Guy Anderson and Morris Graves, Callahan was part of the “Northwest Mystics” or “Northwest School” a group of artists formed during the 1930s who embraced Asian aesthetics and the natural environment of the Puget Sound. Callahan was born in Spokane, Washington and raised in Glasgow, Montana. His family moved to Raymond, Washington in 1918 and then Seattle in 1920. Callahan attended Broadway High School and, briefly, the University of Washington. He moved to San Francisco where he had his first one-man show and worked as a ship’s steward before returning to Seattle in 1930. In the same year, he married Margaret Bundy. The couple’s home quickly became a meeting point for many figures in Seattle’s art scene. During the Great Depression, Callahan worked as an artist for the Federal Arts Project. In 1933, Callahan’s work was included in the First Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Art at the Whitney Museum and Callahan began working as a curator at the Seattle Art Museum, a role he continued until 1953. In 1954 he won a fellowship from the Guggenheim. He traveled extensively through Europe and South America and focused on his painting. In 1961 Margaret passed away after a battle with cancer. Callahan remarried Beth Inge Gotfredsen in 1964 and the couple moved to Long Beach, Washington. Callahan returned to Seattle in 1984, shortly before his 1986 passing. Callahan’s work is included in the collections of several prominent museums including the Seattle Art Museum, the Guggenheim, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and the Chicago Art Institute.
Identifier: spl_ds_kcallahan_01
Date: 1984
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Baist's Real Estate Atlas of Surveys of Seattle, Wash - Plate 10
Baist Real Estate atlases of Seattle were published in 1905, 1908, and 1912. The atlases show property ownership (for large tracts), plats, block and lot numbers, streets, buildings, sewers, water mains, electric railways, and steam railroads.
Identifier: spl_maps_341191.10
Date: 1905
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Laurene Gandy interview, April 6, 1987
Laurene Tatlow Gandy (1908-1993) was born in Denver, Colorado. She attended Colorado University for two years before transferring to Smith College where she earned her degree in English literature. She received her masters degree from the University of Denver and taught English there until she met and married in Joseph Gandy in 1937. Joseph Gandy was appointed as the president of the 1962 Century 21 Exposition and Laurene was often referred to as the fair’s “First Lady.” She served an important role hosting hundreds of visiting dignitaries and celebrities visiting the fair. Gandy was active in a variety of civic activities throughout her lifetime including serving on the board of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, acting as president of the Seattle Children’s Home and helping to found the Seattle Center Foundation in 1977.
Identifier: spl_ds_lgandy_01_01
Date: 1987-04-06
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Ancil Payne Interview, January 19, 1988 and April 11, 1988
Ancil Payne (1921-2004) was the president and CEO of the KING Broadcasting Company. Payne was born in Mitchell, Oregon and attended both Willamette University and the University of Oregon. During World War II, Payne joined the Navy and served in the South Pacific. After returning from the war, he enrolled at the University of Washington. Following graduation, he was active in politics, becoming a top aide to Congressman Hugh B. Mitchell. In 1959 Payne began working at King Broadcasting, serving a number of roles including managing the company’s stations in Portland, Oregon before returning to Seattle and becoming president of the company in 1972. Payne played an important role in reviving the company and supporting its expansion into new markets. During his time at the company, he increased employee diversity, hiring more minorities and women to major roles, and took stances on controversial topics, speaking out against the Vietnam War, homophobia and the gun lobby. Payne retired from his role in 1987 but remained active with organizations such as the ACLU. He also established the Ancil Payne Awards for Ethics in Journalism at the University of Oregon along with additional scholarships at Dalles High School and Willamette University.
Identifier: spl_ds_apayne_01
Date: 1988-01-19; 1988-04-11
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