The collection comprises a diverse array of photography-related materials including original negatives and positives on glass and film. It encompasses the full spectrum of the photographic medium as its technology progressed someone was there to record it relates to the fascinating journey through time captured by the art of photography.
SUBJECTS & THEMES
LOCATIONS
While my focus has been on collecting and preserving negatives, photographs, and photographers from the Southern Puget Sound region in Washington State, my collection also includes photographs from thirty-five other states and over twenty countries. Should you not find what you're seeking, please inquire. I can source photographs for you if they are not already in my collection. see Locations Albums here.
ARTISTS
There are photographs by over 100 different photographers in my collection many of whom were highly successful and well respected as artists in their day and are still collectable and many who are now being rediscovered or discovered for the first time. All are highly regarded and appreciated for their important legacies to local art and history.
JEFFERS STUDIO ARCHIVES (1903 to 1973)
A great many of the photographs in my collection are from the archives of Jeffers Art Studio of Olympia, Washington. A family of professional photographers Joe, Opal and Vibert Jeffers left over 150,000 negatives for us to enjoy.. and I still haven't counted every negative in every sleeve. Their beautifully produced photographs are a favorite of collectors worldwide. See Galleries.
MARY ROLAND MIRES
1865 ~ 1930
Mary and her family were pioneers in the Ellensburg area of Kittitas County, Washington in the 1860s. Although she was not a professional photographer, Mary was a serious, incredibly talented artist. As a wife and mother, her photographs reflect her personal interests; the surrounding countryside, simple family pleasures and portraits, including local Native Americans. Her images are skillful, intriguing, and timeless documents of daily life.
More artist biographies will be back online soon...
IMPORTANCE OF PHOTOGRAPHS IN HISTORY
Ken Burn's films have illuminated the immense value of photographs and old films in both learning and teaching history. As American history becomes more inclusive, old photographs assume an even more vital role in our ongoing quest to uncover the truth. A truth — beyond the confines of written historical accounts by those who could turn the story to and propagate their own version of the American Experience on North American soil- up to the time of the invention of photography. Without these visual snapshots, what would we truly know about the past and the people who inhabited it? Each picture, in its silent eloquence, weaves a myriad of stories, offering glimpses into our collective past and the environment that shaped it. Photographs also serve as important visual reminders of our own past our own families history ~ and, at the point of losing that memory can trigger some of the most important reminders of life lived.
Susan at the light table examining an 8x10 negative., 1984 by Carl Cook
I was born and raised in the Southern Puget Sound region of the Salish Sea chasing dreams along the shorelines eventually finding that I can only live far inland for very long I learned photography from my father and have been taking my own photographs since I purchased my first box camera by sending in cereal box tops in 1957. I have been a professional photographer since 1976 and formally created The Susan Parish Collection of Photography after purchasing The Jeffers Studio Collection in 1982. In 1992, I created Shadow Catchers as the distributor of photographic based products using images licensed from my private collection. Contact me with any questions. Susan Parish