A Guide to the Erwin Evans Smith Photographs, ca. 1905-1910s
Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator: | Smith, Erwin E. (Erwin Evans), 1886-1947 | |
| Title: | Erwin Evans Smith Photographs, | |
| Dates: | ca. 1905-1910s | |
| Abstract: | The collection consists of 109 black and white prints. Images are of ranch life and cowboys. | |
| Accession No.: | 2004-102 | |
| Extent: | 109 black and white photographs. | |
| Repository: | Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin | |
Biographical Note
Erwin Evan Smith was born on August 22, 1886, in Honey Grove, Texas. Smith’s family relocated to Bonham, a small town in North Texas, when he was a child and he was introduced to cowboys and cattle ranching. Ranching fascinated Smith as a boy; he often painted or sketched elements of ranch life. When he went to work as a cowhand in his teenage years, he carried a camera with him to document the lives of cowboys.
In 1904 Smith left Texas for Chicago, where he studied sculpture under Lorado Taft. He also studied under Bella Lyon Pratt in Boston during the early 1900s, but he often returned to the Southwest to photograph ranchers and cowboys. In 1908, 40 of his photographs were shown in Boston; the success of the show led to a collaboration with the Sunday editor of the Boston Herald, George Pattullo. Pattullo wrote western stories that were published in popular magazines and accompanied by Smith’s photographs.
In 1914 Smith returned to Texas to start his own ranch. The ranch failed, however, and he was bankrupt by 1917. He spent the remainder of his life living quietly outside of Bonham, where he died on Sept. 4, 1947.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of 109 black and white prints. Images are of ranching and cowboys. All but two of the prints (those in 3S236) were purchased by the Texas Memorial Museum for the 1936 Texas Centennial and were selected by Erwin Smith. He also supervised the printing process. The 107 prints originally purchased by the Texas Memorial Museum were accessioned by the Center for American History in 2004.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
Unrestricted access.
Use Restrictions
The Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, houses Erwin E. Smith’s papers and photographic negatives, many of which are on deposit from the Library of Congress. The Amon Carter Museum administers the reproduction rights for the Erwin E. Smith Foundation. All Erwin Smith images are copyrighted by the Erwin E. Smith Foundation. For any reproduction requests, please contact the Registrar’s Office at the Amon Carter Museum, 3501 Camp Bowie, Fort Worth, Texas, 76107.
Index Terms | ||
| Subjects (Persons) | ||
| Smith, Erwin E. (Erwin Evans), 1886-1947 | ||
| Subjects | ||
| Cattle herding | ||
| Cattle ranching | ||
| Cowboys | ||
| Horses | ||
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Erwin Evans Smith Photographs, ca. 1905-1910s, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Processing Information
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s "History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light" project, 2009-2011.
Detailed Description of the Papers