[ALASKA] -- [PHOTOGRAPHY]. NELSON, Charles "Red" (1900-1982). Personal ephemera of Alaskan adventurer Charles "Red" Nelson, incl. journals, photograph

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American Historical Ephemera & Photography

By Cowan's Auctions

Jun 25, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-06-25 10:00:00 2021-06-25 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : American Historical Ephemera & Photography https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/cowans/american-historical-ephemera-photography-7043
The June 25 American Historical Ephemera and Photography Auction features an exciting assemblage of 18th-early 20th century material, including Civil War archives, Early Photography, Western Americana, Autographs and Manuscripts, and more. Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com

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• Lot Description
  Archive highlighted by 1000+ photographs housed in albums and hundreds more loose photographs capturing scenes from Alaska, most ca 1910-1960s, including artful hand-tinted landscapes, early settlements and settlers, wildlife, and railroads, as well as Nelson's friends and family. 
  
  Photo album with black embossed cloth boards and gilt lettering "Photographs," 15 1/4 x 11 1/2 in. with wrap-tie closure at spine, approx. 123 images, most hand-tinted and sized 8 x 10 in., others ranging from 11 x 6 1/2 in., 6 x 3 3/4 in., predominantly featuring landscape scenes from multiple seasons and wildlife. -- Photo album with reddish-brown embossed boards and gilt lettering  "Photographs," 11 3/8 x 7 3/8 in., with wrap-tie closure, 37 hand-tinted photos each 5 x 7 in., featuring landscapes, totem poles, wildlife, maritime, and personal photos. -- Photo album with green cloth boards and 3-ring binding, 10 x 11 3/4 in., 43 photographs, a mix of hand-tinted and black and white each 8 x 10 in., featuring landscapes and wildlife. -- Photo album with black cloth boards encased in embossed suede-like cover with imprint of Alaskan Malamute or similar sled dog, 16 x 12 1/2 in., approximately 330 photos with another 75 loose, ranging in size from 8 x 10 to 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 in., and featuring a mix of community events in/near Fairbanks, AK, personal snapshots of unidentified individuals, maritime images, and landscapes. -- Photo album with brown suede-like cover and gilt lettering "Photographs," 9 x 6 in., approx. 200 photographs, most 2 3/4 x 4 1/2 in., depicting what appear to be early settlements and/or mining or logging camps and what are presumably prospectors and settlers, one locale identified as Talkeetna, AK. -- Photo album with brown embossed cloth boards and gilt lettering "Photographs, 8 1/4  x 5 3/4 in., with wrap-tie closure at spine, approx. 96 photographs, predominantly personal snapshots taken in Washington state as well as Alaska. -- Photo album with blue leather cover, 9 1/4 x 11 in., 11 black and white photographs each 8 x 10 in. -- Photo album with black flexible boards and metal binding, 10 x 11.5 in., 19 black and white photos mostly of Nelson's home "The Homestead" and self-portraits of Nelson. Conditions vary, many albums with loose or missing photo corners and torn page edges, but photographs overall good.)
  
  [With:] 16 black and white negatives, each 4 x 5 in., showing damage from the March 27, 1964 megathrust earthquake that decimated Anchorage, Alaska, and surrounding communities. -- Six boxes of color slides, four of which are identified as related to the 1964 quake: "Turnagain by the Sea[?] / Quake / March 27 - 64"; "Wreck of the Hotel"; "Earthquake March 27 1964"; and "Quake 1964." 
  
  [With:] Small black notebook, 3.5 x 5.5 in., ca 1950s, with Nelson's notes about his trip to Kotzebue, Alaska, including filming and photographing native peoples and working with native Alaskan and Chief Reindeer Herder Chester Seveck. -- Hand-written journals kept by Nelson for the years 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922 1924, and 1935-1937.
  
  [Also with:] Negatives, some identified. -- Sketchbook with embossed leather boards and gilt lettering "Scrapbook," 10 1/4 x 12 3/4 in., with wrap tie closure at spine, with 24 sketches in ink and in pencil, sizes vary, subjects include dogs, female forms, landscapes, and more, some loose others attached to pages. -- Miscellaneous personal correspondence including letters exchanged between Nelson and "Alaska's bear hunting judge" Judge George W. Folta (1893-1955) of Juneau. -- Ivory or bone harpoon toggle. -- American Railway Express canvas bag marked "Property of AM. RY. EX." and leather wallet. -- A collection of Alaska postcards. -- Personal ephemera including Juneau High yearbooks, photography awards, newspaper clippings, and more. -- A slide carousel (unknown working condition), still camera (unknown working condition) and pieces of other film equipment.  
  
  “Red” Nelson was an Alaska adventurer, sportsman, hotel owner, and railroad man but most of all – a photographer and filmmaker. A “citizen journalist” of his time, he documented Alaska's indigenous people, the ’64 earthquake, Mt. Spurr’s ’53 eruption and ashfall, train derailments, gold prospectors, his beloved Mt. McKinley (Denali), and much more. Born in New York in 1900, he left home at age 12 with only an elementary education and worked odd jobs throughout the Pacific Northwest. Traveling to towns across southern Alaska, he eventually settled in Anchorage, working on the Alaska Railroad. His diary indicates that his last day working for the railroad was July 3, 1937, and just three days later, on July 6, he signed the papers to buy the Inlet Hotel in Anchorage in the afternoon and married Vera Pettingill that night. In 1940, The Alaskan newspaper reported that Red became the first Alaskan photographer to receive national recognition when two of his landscapes received awards from the Photographer’s Association of America. For decades, Red lived and worked in Alaska, operating his hotel while photographing and shooting films that documented his cherished Alaskan wilderness and culture. When the devastating Good Friday earthquake of March 1964 destroyed half of Anchorage and damaged the Inlet Hotel, Red was prompted to relocate his family to California where he continued pursuing both photography and filmmaking. 
  
  Red's work is rare. OCLC locates only one institution, the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson, with his photography in its collections and no other institutions were identified as housing his films or audio reels. Rare Book Hub identifies no Nelson material at auction. See also Lot 394.
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