Asahel Curtis' photography continues to suprise archivists nearly a century later
1 of 4A glass-plate negative from photographer Asahel Curtis shows tubes hooked to a train car in Zillah, Washington. The hand-written note card from Curtis himself says this station was for loading fruit into a "pre-cooking" car. At the turn of the 20th century, Asahel Curtis was a prolific photographer who traveled throughout Washington. His work captured the state as it underwent big changes, owing to rapid industrialization. For decades, a massive collection of Asahel’s glass plate negatives has been held at the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma.
The plates, however, are aging. In the 1980s, historians and staff were able to digitize around 3,000 of his most essential photographs. That left about 58,000 to go. Now, thanks to renewed interest and funding, historians are working on preserving the rest of the Curtis images.
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Guests:
- Margaret Wetherbee, Head of Collections at the Washington State Historical Society
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Margaret Wetherbee, Head of Collections at Washington State Historical Society
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Alec Cowan
Producer, Soundside
Alec Cowan is a producer for Soundside. His interests have brought many eclectic stories to the program, and his segments gravitate toward history, technology, arts and culture, and the environment. He's proud to be KUOW's unofficial "boat guy."
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