Peter Palmquist
|
The Bancroft Library lost a dear friend and colleague with the untimely death of Peter Palmquist, 66, famed Arcata photographer and historian. Peter was a frequent visitor, collaborator, and speaker at Bancroft. The author of more than 60 books, Peter accumulated what some recognize as the greatest collection of 19th century Western photography. Approximately 85,000 of his estimated 250,000 images were taken by Humboldt County photographers. At the time of his death Peter was at work on an archive of women’s photography of the American West. |
Peter’s accomplishments are too lengthy to list in total. He is the founding editor of The Daguerreian Annual; past president of the National Stereoscopic Association and founder and curator of the Women in Photography International Archive. In his career, Peter participated in more than 100 exhibitions of historical photography. He discovered his love for old photographs while shopping in a McKinleyville antique store. A woman there asked him if he collected anything, and when he replied no, she gave him a few old photographs which would become the genesis of his later passion.
Susan Snyder, Head of Access Services, described Peter’s relationship with many Bancrofters, “Peter Palmquist was an extraordinary person. He was generous and eager with his knowledge and time, yet modest, warm, and witty. He was supportive and encouraging; he contributed and participated; and he would appear in unexpected places. He excelled in putting together odd pieces and making a whole. Peter was a wholemaker.”
The Golden Gate--View from Telegraph Hill, San Francisco. W 193--New Series Pacific Coast Views. Scenic California, Photographed by Carleton E. Watkins, ca. 1885. Peter Palmquist was an authority on the work of Carleton Watkins. He frequently wrote and lectured on Watkins, and many photographers of the American West |
James Eason, an integral part of Bancroft’s Pictoral staff, observed that, “Over the years, Peter took an active interest in our collections and their welfare. He was an early advocate for improved housing and conservation work for our unique daguerreian holdings and, of course, for our large collection of mammoth plate prints by Carleton Watkins. In 1999-2000, with grant funding for a major project secured, Peter worked intensively with our Conservation Treatment Lab staff to physically stabilize and document all of our daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and cased tintypes. These priceless historical artifacts are now better preserved for future generations, and they are fully cataloged and digitized for viewing over the world-wide-web. (http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/collections/ casedphotos/project.html).”
Eason also noted that, “In less formal capacities, Peter has been a source of advice on major acquisitions, written expert letters of support for grant applications, authored articles for Bancroftiana, given talks to the campus community, and even provided a daylong workshop for Bancroft staff in the identification and dating of photographs. Over the past few years he was also very active in a project, initiated by the Getty Museum, to compile a catalogue raisonné of all known Watkins mammoth plates world wide. He participated in an intensive survey of Bancroft’s 650-plus mammoths believed to be the largest collection in existence. The loss of Peter Palmquist is deeply felt at Bancroft and around the world. Not only have we lost a priceless resource, but we have lost a good friend. It is hard not to look forward to his next appearance in the Reading Room.”
The Special Collections Treatment Team in the Library’s Conservation Unit had a close working relationship with Peter. “Peter worked in the Conservation Treatment Laboratory with the conservation staff over a period of nine months. Together we stabilized and documented The Bancroft Library’s cased photographs. He would open up each cased photograph with great skill, care and attention. As he opened the cases, he would share his discoveries, drawing on his mastery of the history of daguerrotypes, ambrotypes and cased tintypes. His intellectual generosity made us all richer. It was a great pleasure to have his presence here in the lab and we were greatly saddened to hear of his death. He will be sorely missed by the photographic conservation community for the treasury of knowledge that he had amassed over the years.”
Volume 122
Spring 2003
Table of Contents
Reading Papyri, Writing History
From the Director: A Bancroft Library for the 21st Century
California Children's Books at the Bancroft Library
Hazards of the Forests fo Watsonville-- as reported by Regent Arthur Rodgers
Bear in Mind: The Many Lives of a Library Exhibit
The Last Portrait of Mark Twain
