A Guide to the C.C. Casteel Photograph Collection, ca. 1920s-1960s


Descriptive Summary
	Creator:	Casteel, C.C. 1898-1973
	Title:	C.C. Casteel Photograph Collection
	Dates:	ca. 1920s-1960s
	Abstract:	The collection, comprising prints, negatives, photo-masks, and receipts from the studio’s operations, documents Texarkana and its citizens. The shots tend to be traditional studio portraits, but candid and commercial outdoor shots exist as well. There are also photographs of local businesses, aerial shots of the city, images describing before-and-after medical procedures, and photographic duplications of documents. The collection represents a valuable research aid for those interested in the history of Texarkana, and the United States in general in the 20th Century. Its imagery is decidedly quotidian for the most part, but because of this, one gets a real sense of the everyday America, and how these everyday Americans sought to represent themselves. There are also glimpses of how society viewed “others” in the early to mid 20th century, exemplified by photographs (and particularly their descriptions) of minorities or the physically impaired.
	Accession No.:	94-361
	Extent:	10 ft.
	Language:	Materials are written in English.
	Repository:	Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin

Biographical Note

Cyril C. Casteel (1898-1973) was a photographer working in Texarkana from ca. 1925-1960. He operated a photography studio by the name of C. C. Casteel Photo Studio ca. 1931-1960.

The C.C. Casteel Photograph Collection (ca. 1920s-1960s), comprising prints, negatives, photo-masks, and receipts from the studio’s operations, documents Texarkana and its citizens. The shots tend to be traditional studio portraits, but candid and commercial outdoor shots exist as well. There are also photographs of local businesses, aerial shots of the city, images describing before-and-after medical procedures, and photographic duplications of documents.


Arrangement
	The C.C. Casteel Photograph Collection was originally stored in envelopes by the creator, with either the name of the person who ordered the photographs, or the subject, written on the envelopes. The collection is arranged alphabetically by the name (or subject information) that was on the envelope. Photocopies of the envelopes are stored with the prints. If there are only negatives and no prints, a photocopy of the envelope is stored with the negative. In the case that there are both prints and negatives, photocopies are stored with the prints, and an asterisk on the enclosure indicates that there are accompanying prints or negatives.
	Patrons looking for specific individuals by last name may want to check under "Mr.," "Mrs.," or "Miss" for that last name, because if the first name was recorded (and it often was not), it may have been preceded by the honorific.
	Series
	I. Prints II. Negatives III. Oversized Negatives

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Access to negatives is by appointment only. Contact repository for appointment.

Use Restrictions

The negatives are stored remotely. Advance notice required for retrieval. Contact repository for retrieval.


Index Terms

	Subjects (Persons)
		Casteel, Cyril C.—archives
	Subjects (Organizations)
		J.C. Penney Co.
		Sears, Roebuck and Company
	Subjects
		Abnormalities, Human
		Aerial views—Texarkana
		African Americans
		Business
		City and town life
		Children and youth
		Commercial streets
		Department stores
		Domestic animals
		Drugstores
		Historic buildings
		Houses
		Merchants
		People with disabilities
		Pets
		Portrait photographs
		Schools
		Traffic accidents
		Wounds and injuries
	Places
		Arkansas
		Bowie County (Tex.)
		Louisiana
		Miller County (Ark.)
		Texarkana (Ark.)
		Texarkana (Tex.)
		Texas

This collection contains unprocessed materials.