Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company electric locomotive number 10309 at Seattle, Washington, undated.

Identity elements

Reference code

US WaBuPNRA D0011-002-014-001-009-JMF12-05982.0

Level of description

Item

Title

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company electric locomotive number 10309 at Seattle, Washington, undated.

Date(s)

  • undated (Creation)

Extent

1 photograph

Name of creator

(1874-1941)

Biographical history

Asahel Curtis was born in 1874 in Minnesota[1] to Johnson Asahel Curtis (1840–1887) and Ellen Sheriff (1844–1912). The Curtis family moved to Washington state in 1888. Asahel's brother, Edward Sheriff Curtis, supported the family by opening a photography studio in Seattle, and Asahel went to work for him in 1894. In 1897, the brothers agreed that Asahel should go to the Yukon and document the Klondike Gold Rush. Asahel remained there for two years, alternately taking pictures and working a small and largely unproductive claim. Asahel launched his photography career with that two year trip to Alaska and the Klondike. In 1911, Asahel established his own studio in Seattle and employed a team of developers and colorists, including his sister Eva. He was hired by a number of local companies, organizations, and wealthy individuals to take portraits and promotional photos. He became more widely known for his images of the Washington landscape that were published nationwide. Curtis worked in his Seattle studio until his death in 1941. Sixty thousand of his images are held in trust by the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company electric locomotive number 10309 at Seattle, Washington, undated. Milwaukee Road box-cab electric 10309 coupled to the Olympian passenger train at Union Station in Seattle. Photo by Asahel Curtis, J.M. Fredrickson collection. Other Subject Classes: electric locomotive, passenger train.

System of arrangement

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

Please see Section VII of the Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive Collection Management Policy for further information.

Physical access

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Please see the Pacific Northwest Railway Archives Reproduction Policy for further information.

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

Finding aids

Generated finding aid

Acquisition and appraisal elements

Custodial history

Ownership of Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company subjects resides in the the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Society.

Immediate source of acquisition

Acquired by the Northern Pacific Railroad Historical Society from James M. Fredrickson. Accession W2012-19 received August 20, 2012.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

Accruals

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Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

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Notes element

Specialized notes

Alternative identifier(s)

Description control element

Rules or conventions

Describing Archives - A Content Standard (DACS) 2nd Edition 2013

Sources used

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Accession area