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Harriet's Photograph Collection, circa 1868-1980

By Trevor Sandgathe, Geordan Lightburn, and Elizabeth Nielsen

Collection Overview

Title: Harriet's Photograph Collection, circa 1868-1980

Predominant Dates: 1920-1970

ID: P HC

Primary Creator: Moore, Harriet L. Forest

Extent: 25.0 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement:

Harriet's Photograph Collection is arranged into nine series: 1. Academics and Administration; 2. Athletics and Physical Education; 3. Campus Buildings and Scenes; 4. Clubs and Groups; 5. Events and Activities; 6. Extension and Experiment Station; 7. Local and Regional Scenes; 8. Students and Alumni; 9. Individuals.

Photographs in this collection are arranged alphabetically within series by subject file title, but are arranged physically within boxes by format and the four-digit "HC" number assigned to each subject file. The number of items per subject file varies from a single image to several hundred. In some cases, the same subject may be present in multiple files, in which case the files are listed together in the finding aid but are physically dispersed.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

Harriet's Photograph Collection--named for the first University Archivist, Harriet Moore--is an artificial collection of photographic images documenting a range of Oregon State University programs, activities, and personnel from the institution's founding as Corvallis College in 1868. The collection consists of about 25 cubic feet of photographic prints and negatives (approximately 30,000 items) dating from the late 19th century through the 20th century.

Images from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

Scope and Content Notes

Harriet's Collection is an artificial collection of photographic images documenting a range of Oregon State University programs and activities from the institution's founding as Corvallis College in 1868. It includes images of Oregon State University buildings; athletic teams and events; faculty, staff, students, and alumni; campus events and activities; academic and research programs; and extension programs throughout Oregon. It also includes images of Corvallis. Many of the photographs were taken by staff of the Oregon State College News Bureau and other university departments. The collection also includes many images by Corvallis photographers, including Ball Studio, Howell's Studio, and Hise Studio.

The collection consists primarily of black and white photographic prints and film negatives. It also includes albumen prints, nitrate negatives, lantern slides, color slides, and positive transparencies.

Images from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Harriet Forest Moore was Oregon State University's first archivist, a position she held from 1961 to 1966, and an avid local historian. Harriet Moore trained as a physical therapist at Reed College and worked as a physical therapist in the U.S. Army Reconstruction Aid Program before enrolling at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) in 1920. She completed B.S. (1922) and M.S. (1924) degrees in vocational education at OAC. In 1955, Moore became a Library Assistant in the Oregon State College Library. Her attention to detail and experience with local history research led to her appointment as Archivist in 1961. After her retirement in 1966, she worked part-time on special projects in the Archives until 1970. She received awards from the Oregon Historical Society and the Benton County History Society and Museum for her work to promote local history. Harriet Moore died in 1992.

During her tenure at Oregon State College, Moore assembled an artificial collection of more than 30,000 images documenting the history of the institution from its founding as Corvallis College in 1868. This collection was ultimately named "Harriet's Photograph Collection" in acknowledgement of her efforts.



Author: Elizabeth Nielsen and Trevor Sandgathe

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 79 boxes including 8 oversize boxes, 7 slide and negative boxes, 2 map folders, and approximately 30,000 photographs.

Statement on Access: This collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: Harriet's Photograph Collection was assembled by University Archivist Harriet Moore during her tenure at Oregon State College from 1961-1966 using photographs donated or transferred to the University Archives. Additional materials were added to the collection after Moore's retirement. The collection now resides in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center.

Related Materials: The OSU Special Collections and Archives Research Center holdings include the Harriet Moore Photograph Collection (P 150) which is comprised of images assembled by Moore. Other photograph collections documenting the history of Oregon State University include the Beaver Yearbook Photographs (P 003), Alumni Relations Photographs (P 017), Oregon State Univeristy Historical Photographs (P 025), News and Communication Services Photograph Collection (P 057), President's Office Photographs (P 092), and the Associated Students of OSU (ASOSU) Photographs (P 154). A list of other photograph collection in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center holdings can be found here.

Preferred Citation: Harriet's Photograph Collection (P HC), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information:

Electronic indices for Harriet's Photograph Collection were generated as early as 1996 with updates through the 2000s. A project was undertaken in 2015 to add to and correct existing metadata describing the collection. The finding aid was revised in 2018 to reflect current practices and standards.

This finding aid will be updated as new materials are added, materials are digitized, and additional descriptive information is added.

We acknowledge that materials in SCARC collections and the language that describes them may be harmful. We are actively working to address our descriptive practices; for more information please see our SCARC Anti-Racist Actions Statement online.

SCARC describes the contents of its collections using the language and terminology of the collections themselves. Since culturally acceptable terminology shifts over time, some of the terms that appear in these materials are currently outdated or offensive.

Historically, "squaw" has been used as a misogynist and racist slur to disparage indigenous American women. Within this historic usage, it has been applied to place names, and scientific or colloquial names for plants. In this collection, the term "squaw" is used in the context of the Squaw Butte Experiment Station. This station is now known as the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center.

In order to provide historical context and to enable standardized searching and access across our collecctions, we have retained the use of this phrase in the collection description. We acknowledge the racism represented by this language and the harm it may cause our users. Providing access to these historical materials does not endorse any attitidues or behavior depicted therein. For more information on impacted collections, see the blog post.

[Date of Acknowledgement: December 2023]

Creators

Moore, Harriet L. Forest
Ball Studio
Hise Studio
Howell's Studio
Oregon State College. News Bureau
Oregon State University. News Bureau

People, Places, and Topics

Agricultural extension work--Oregon.
Agriculture--Oregon.
College buildings--Oregon--Corvallis.
College environment--Oregon--Corvallis.
College sports--Oregon--Corvallis.
College students--Oregon--Corvallis.
Corvallis (Or.)
Corvallis College
History of Science
Local History
Natural Resources
Oregon Agricultural College
Oregon Multicultural Archives
Oregon State Agricultural College
Oregon State College
Oregon State University
Student activities
Universities and colleges--Alumni and alumnae--Oregon--Corvallis.
Universities and colleges--Oregon--Corvallis--Employees.
University History

Forms of Material

Albumen prints.
Color transparencies.
Film negatives.
Lantern slides.
Nitrate negatives.
Panoramic photographs.
Photograph albums.
Photographic prints.
Postcards.
Slides (photographs).


Box and Folder Listing