Central Washington University Archives
Guide to the Edison School Asahel Curtis Lantern Slides
RG 010, Acc. #05-27
Processed and Listed by: Riva Dean
Date: February 2005.
Date Span: ca. 1920. Size: .25 cubic ft. Number of Boxes: 1 lantern slide box. Type of material: 56 lantern slides. Physical condition: Fair. Several slides have cracks. Arrangement: Arranged numerically by original numbers on slides. Related Material: The bulk of Curtis' collection is at the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma. There is also a small collection at the University of Washington. Historical or Biographical Sketch: Asahel Curtis (1874-1941) was a professional photographer in Seattle for forty years. The younger brother of photographer Edward S. Curtis, Asahel joined his brother in his photography studio around 1892. In 1897, he went to Alaska to photograph the Klondike gold rush. After returning from Alaska, he served as staff photographer for the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post Intelligencer for a short time. He started his own company, the Asahel Curtis Photo Company in 1920. He lived and worked in Seattle but had interests throughout Washington, including developing an apple orchard near Yakima. He served on the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the State Tax Commission, and the Washington Irrigation Institute. He was also an avid mountain climber and served on the Rainier National Park advisory committee. Curtis died in 1941 at the age of sixty-seven. A model school was established at Washington State Normal School during the first year of operation in 1891. In 1917, the school was named the Edison School after an agreement was made between the trustees of the Normal School and the Ellensburg School District for use of the training school building. After the completion of a new school building the name was changed to the College Elementary School. Scope and Content Note: The exact date of these pictures is not known, but appears to be around 1920. Some of the slides had labels with numbers and the collection has been arranged according to those numbers. The unlabeled slides have been given letters and appear after the numbered slides. The slides are all images of children in the Edison school involved in various activities. The inventory includes a brief description of the activities shown. Most of the images were taken indoors though some were taken outdoors on campus. Included are pictures of children dancing, playing, preparing food and with animals. There are several slides that show children visiting a local bakery.
Container List:
Box 1 1. Children and teacher at piano. 3. Children with rhythm instruments. 4. Children dancing. 4x. Children with rabbits. 7. Children in animal coop. (slide cracked) 6. Children outside fenced yard. 6x. —In the clover-field.— 6y. —C.E.S. early kindergarten gardening.— 8. Children with small animal cage. 9. Children washing plant. 12. Children playing gymnastics games. 13. Boy swinging from a pole. 14. Children playing game. 15x. Children dancing. 16x. Children dressed in white, holding hands in a circle. 17. Children in front of Barge Hall. 17x. —Let the leader show the way— 18. Children playing indoors, girls with dolls. (slide cracked) 19. Children making cookies. 22. Children playing indoors. 22x. Children playing with blocks. 23. Children drawing on chalk boards. 23x. Children sitting around a table, wearing smocks. 24. Children playing with sand. 25. Children playing with clay. (slide cracked) 25x. Children sitting at table with clay. 27. Children painting boxes. 28, Children pulling dioramas on wagons. 31. Looking at sheep in a corral. 35. Children in front of bakery. (slide is broken) 37. Children inside break bakery. 38. Children in bakery with loaves of bread. 39. Large group of children seated at tables with dishes. 40. Children having indoor parade with drum. 40x. Children indoors. Lined up holding hands. 42. Children sitting around a teacher. 43. Four children playing. Boy standing on board between chairs. 44. Children around a maypole. A. Girls playing with dolls. B. Children cleaning pictures. C. Children on wheels. D. Children working with tools. E. Children dancing on lawn. F. Girls dancing on lawn. G. Children on lawn with lamb. H. Children at play in classroom with toy piano. I. Children playing with wooden toys. (small crack in corner) J. Boys playing with wooden trains. K. Children building fort with blocks. L. Children playing with blocks. M. Children making cookies. N. Children cooking. O. Children sitting around a table having a snack. P. Children playing ball indoors. Q. Girls playing house. R. Balls and blocks.
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