What to do with 400 historical 8x10 glossy San Francisco photographs??

[DREW WILEY]

It just came to my mid that you might look up Richard Schwartz the Berkeley historian. He's published several books on SF history with lots of old photos, and still gives historical society talks, and would have good contacts. I haven't spoken to him in several months; but there is plenty on the web about him and his past books.

 

[bernard_L]

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[summicron1]

My father was a professional. I have approximately 350, 8x10s from the 1940s and '50s that he took for a real estate company, so most of these are streets and buildings but some are from the air (he was a pilot, too). They are all numbered on the back with their corresponding numbered 4x5 negatives in sleeves. I think this collection is worth some money and would like to sell it, but I have no idea how to go about it. (I prefer not to use ebay). Does anyone have any suggestions? They've been sitting in a box for 80 years now!!! (The quality is still excellent).

In Utah my first and highest recommendation would be the University's special collections library -- in Utah they are legally charged with collecting stuff like this, and gladly do so. The California Historical Society would also be someplace that would probably gladly give body parts for such a donation.

 

[Nancy123]

https://www.sfhistory.org/

Great suggestion! I called them and talked to their curator. Like others have noted, staffing for curating is a challenge so they could be the keepers for a while until things improve. I will seriously consider these nice people for the future. As for now, I might be changing my focus.

 

[xkaes]

I'd look up local historical societies.

Exactly. See post #23 -- The San Fransisco Historical Society

 

[Nancy123]

My wife is a retired curator. When the Pete Wettach farm photos were found, some in a file cabinet at the University of Iowa, this was the first anyone had seen the photos for decades, a book followed, my wife curated an exhibition at the University of Museum of Art, experts printed from the original large format negatives, it was a hit. Then the Iowa public television network did a hour length program it's been very well received, still plays occasionally.

The photos you have are priceless, just need to find a interested party. I wouldn’t be surprised if a commercial gallery wouldn't sell archival prints made from the original negatives.

Very nice of you to share all this and your comments. The thing is, I have 1,500 negatives (4x5) and about 400 prints. I shared only a handful in my original post. The other 394 contain some really amazing shots. I think something great is in their future. Thanks for you input!

 

[Nancy123]

I'd look up local historical societies. The art museums do sometimes buy up entire collection or take donations;
but they mainly acquire from serious private collections selectively at best. Funds and archiving space, and personnel, are quite limited; and many museums these days are seriously underfunded; and any Fed backup is either about to get killed, or already has been. The Oakland museum has the best historical archives, but is already stuffed to the gills in terms of a massive photo collection.

Most people I know are mostly interested in pre-1906 documentation. But SF is otherwise a good city with respect to its own historical interests. It might take some patience, but some kind of party out there will probably be interested. Galleries want catchy things either they can sell, or which in their opinion has social relevance. It would be pretty hard to interest one of them, and display slots can take years in advance to assign. Some kind of local neighborhood association venue in a library or bank might be possible, or perhaps some restaurant or realtor group.

The options seem endless now! I knew I did the right thing by asking for suggestions on this forum. You guys are amazing, and very generous. Thank you. My head is spinning.

 

[Nancy123]

Exactly. See post #23 -- The San Fransisco Historical Society

They are my first choice when the time comes.

 

[Nancy123]

In Utah my first and highest recommendation would be the University's special collections library -- in Utah they are legally charged with collecting stuff like this, and gladly do so. The California Historical Society would also be someplace that would probably gladly give body parts for such a donation.

Excellent! I'm making a list of the likely repositories and this rates high. Thank you for the suggestion.

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They are a great resource. Thanks!

 

[Nancy123]

It just came to my mid that you might look up Richard Schwartz the Berkeley historian. He's published several books on SF history with lots of old photos, and still gives historical society talks, and would have good contacts. I haven't spoken to him in several months; but there is plenty on the web about him and his past books.

Thank you! I do need some ideas on what to do next. I will find him

 

[CMoore]

Don't get your hopes up. While your father's collection of prints evidently has considerable historic value, economic value of the archive is likely to be marginal at best. Frankly, I personally think a better option would be to find an institution that's willing to take on stewardship of this collection - although you'll have to be prepared to actually work quite hard to find one that's capable and willing of doing so.

Is the box taking up such valuable space? Why not keep it, and perhaps pass it on to a next generation in your family?

I really doubt whatever financial gain you can eek out from this by offering it up for sale will be proportional to the value of the material as such.

Consider a donation to a museum that specializes in California history, like California State Museum or Huntington Museum.

California Museum

Learn more about California’s diverse history, arts, culture, and unique influence on the world through interactive online exhibits and engaging virtual programs.

californiamuseum.org

Welcome to The Huntington | The Huntington

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is a tourist attraction and collections-based educational and research institution.

www.huntington.org

The Oakland Museum of California (just across the Bay) is another possibility. If there is location and date information to go with the print/negative catalogue, it would be more attractive as a set.

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Good Grief and God Bless your father..!!!
That is a pirates buried treasure of SF Photos.

Many of those buildings no longer exist. Your collection brings them back to life.
The places that do still survive are a wonder to see ....... begging for a "Then and Now" treatment.


As others have said, these photos bring back to life the styles and fads of the day. Cars, clothing, movie showings, etc etc.

I lived in SF until 2005. We miss it deeply.
When we moved, it never occurred to us that we would never be able to afford to go back.
It remains one of the biggest regrets of our life.

I would love to sit with a "SF History Expert" ..... look at all of those pictures and discuss each one separately.
Incredible
Amazing
Simply Incredible

These pictures represent a unique opportunity to document SF history.
I truly hope one (or more) of the above links cab facilitate preserving and organizing these awesome photos.

Than You and Good Luck

 

[runswithsizzers]

@Nancy123, have you found a home for your photos, or do you still have them?

If it's not too late, I would encourage you to pick out a few favorites to either keep -- or scan -- so you will always have them as a reminder of your father's work. And if you do scan some of them, we would love to see them here.

 

[Nancy123]

Good Grief and God Bless your father..!!!
That is a pirates buried treasure of SF Photos.

Many of those buildings no longer exist. Your collection brings them back to life.
The places that do still survive are a wonder to see ....... begging for a "Then and Now" treatment.


As others have said, these photos bring back to life the styles and fads of the day. Cars, clothing, movie showings, etc etc.

I lived in SF until 2005. We miss it deeply.
When we moved, it never occurred to us that we would never be able to afford to go back.
It remains one of the biggest regrets of our life.

I would love to sit with a "SF History Expert" ..... look at all of those pictures and discuss each one separately.
Incredible
Amazing
Simply Incredible

These pictures represent a unique opportunity to document SF history.
I truly hope one (or more) of the above links cab facilitate preserving and organizing these awesome photos.

Than You and Good Luck

Hi CMoore. Thank you for the nice words and I'm glad to see my posting is still alive I've decided to keep all the negatives and I'm in the process of scanning them at hi-res to upload to pic-time.com with the intent to sell there. I have a domain name and will be working on the uploads this week as a test. I will order one for myself to check the quality. It will also just be a place for San Francisco fans to enjoy looking at them. I'll post here when it goes live later this week. Thank you for your interest!
Nancy

 

[Nancy123]

@Nancy123, have you found a home for your photos, or do you still have them?

If it's not too late, I would encourage you to pick out a few favorites to either keep -- or scan -- so you will always have them as a reminder of your father's work. And if you do scan some of them, we would love to see them here.

 

[Nancy123]

runswithsizzers: Thank you and if you read my reply to CMoore above you will see what I plan to do with them and yes, I will make them available for viewing. With 400 of them, I will choose the best but it will be a rather long term project! Thank you for your interest and post.
Nancy