MorseBlog

Here I summarized a little of what I was able to Google about the more obscure photographers in this series. Fred Bond.  Little is known except he wrote a couple of books on photography. Difficult to find much biographical material.  He lived in Los Angeles. KODACHROME & KODACOLOR FROM ALL ANGLES (1947 3rd edition) WESTWARD HOW! through the Scenic West (1947) Ferenz Fedor He lived in Albequerque New Mexico. His photographs appear in some archives online mostly black and white with churches of New Mexico and Native Americans as popular subjects. Chalres D. Downey From Scottsbuff Nebraska (1907-1989). An archive of Downey family photographs is at the Nebraska State Historical Society . There is a Downey Photography that has been in photography for 5 generatons. The current owner "Tom’s grandparents, Charles and Dorothy, began Downey’s Studio in the 1930s in Scottsbluff, Nebraska." An article in the local paper indicates the shop will close its doors after...

This is the third in the series of photos from the 1952 booklet The Glory of Our West published by Standard Oil company.  Mission San Juan Capistrano  GEORGE E. STONE, San Jose. 5 x 7 Eastman view camera; f:6.8 lens; Kodachrome film, daylight type; 1/5 second at f:22. Made on a somewhat overcast day in July. Because of the darkness of the colonnade, a synchronized flash was arranged. Two "blue" bulbs were used; one about 10 feet from the camera, so as to light up the dark wall area; the second mounted on the camera itself.  Santa Barbara Mission  FRED BOND, Los Angeles. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; 5-1/4" Zeiss Tessar lens; CC13 filter; Kodachrome film, daylight type; 1/5 second at f:25; June, 2 p.m.  Sequoia National Park  JOSEF MUENCH, Santa Barbara. 4 x 5 Crown view camera ; 5-1/4" Zeiss Tessar lens; No. 1 haze filter; Kodachrome film, daylight type; 1/5 second at f:22; mid-afternoon, early December.  Kings Canyon National Park...

This is the second in the series of photos from the 1952 booklet The Glory of Our West published by Standard Oil company.   Grand Canyon National Park  ESTHER HENDERSON, Tucson. 5 x 7 Eastman view camera ; 5-1/4" Goerz Dagor lens; Kodachrome film; 1/10 second at f:8; July at sunset.   Monument Valley  ESTHER HENDERSON, Tucson. 5 x 7 Eastman view camera; 5-1/4" Goerz Dagor lens; Kodachrome film; 1/25 second at f:12.5; midmorning, mid-August.   Rainbow Natural Bridge  CARI. JUNGHANS, Hollywood. 4 x 5 Speed Graphic camera ; Kodak Ektar f.:4.5 lens; Kodachrome film, daylight type; 1/50 second at f:8; early March.   Zion National Park  JOSEF MUENCH, Santa Barbara. 4 x 5 Graflex Crown view camera; Zeiss Tessar lens; Kodachrome film, day-light type; skylight filter; 1 second at f:40.  Bryce Canyon National Park  FRED BOND, Los Angeles. 4x5 Speed Graphic camera; 5-1/4" lens; Kodachrome film; d...

A couple of years ago on one of my visits to see my dad in the the USA my wife and I stopped by our favorite bookstore in Bonners Ferry Idaho,  Bonners Books . We love browsing their well curated selection of books in a quiet and friendly atmosphere. I stumbled upon this slender volume called The Glory of Our West . It was filled with really nice iconic images of the western US and a short essay for each image. (There are in about 50 images so I will break this into a number of postings.) I did a little research, published in 1952 it was made to encourage motor trips to the west by Standard Oil of California for rather obvious commercial reasons. They combined photographs from the foremost landscape photographers of the time and writings by various famous writers in the west at the time. There were earlier versions as well apparently and other editions. The photographers and writers were mostly regional. The whole work while clearly commercial in intent was executed with some art...