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Compton Photograph Studio Archive collection, 1884-1975

Overview of the Collection

Title
Compton Photograph Studio Archive collection
Dates
1884-1975 (inclusive)
1884-1952 (bulk)
Quantity
543 boxes, (324 linear ft.)
Collection Number
UUS_P0313
Summary
The Compton Studio Archive is comprised of two major components: Glass plate negatives containing views and scenes (e.g., anything besides portraiture) were printed on modern, resin-coated paper and dry-mounted to museum board for storage in filing cabinets. These prints are numbered beginning with a "C" (e.g., "C-0250"), and total approximately 910 items. The negatives bear the same number as the print and are stored in archival document Boxes. Glass plate, black and white flexible film, and color negatives containing portraiture, dating from the 1880's to 1994, are mostly filed in archival storage Boxes and are arranged by date and negative number according to the original scheme imposed by the studio. Additionally, there are some oversize glass plates as large as 18" x 22" stored flat in archival storage Boxes.
Repository
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to public research. Nitrate negatives have been removed from this collection and placed in Cold Storage Boxes 17-20. Patrons must request to view these negatives 3 hours in advance.

Languages
Collection materials are in English.
Sponsor
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008
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Biographical Note

Alma W. Compton, Sr.

Alma W. Compton, Sr. was born in England on September 21, 1856. He and his siblings moved to Ogden, Utah in 1868, their parents joined them a year later. His opportunities for schooling were meager and he worked in a broom factory before apprenticing himself to Ogden photographer J.W. Christensen in 1882. In 1883 he rented a photo outfit and traveled through Brigham City, Cache Valley, and around Malad, Idaho. He settled in Brigham City and rented the studio of Jens C. Gasberg (Brigham City's first photographer) before building his own studio in 1884. In 1886 Compton married Jane Emeline Dalton in the Logan Temple. The couple would have four children who survived to adulthood. On January 28, 1901 the studio became the Compton's Art & Music Company and moved to the location they would use until the studio closed in 1994. He died on March 16, 1931.

Alma W. Compton, Jr.

Alma W. Compton, Jr. was born on May 18, 1889. From an early age he helped out in the studio and he, his sister Rozilla, and younger brother Mathew, gradually took over more and more of the duties relating to the studio as their father's health declined. He died at the age of 30 on November 25th, 1919 from pneumonia.

Mathew Joseph Compton

Mathew Compton was born on November 16, 1892. He served in the military during WWI and returned to run the studio with his father after the death of Alma W. Compton, Jr. Mathew was instrumental in forming the American Legion of Utah in 1919 and was active in Brigham City commercial organizations. He married Pearl Peters on February 21, 1921 in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. They would have four children one of whom (Mathew Glenn) took over the studio in 1967.

Mathew Glenn Compton

Mathew Glenn Compton was born on November 28, 1923 in Brigham City. He attended photography school in California and served in the military during WWII. He managed the studio from 1967 until he retired in 1994 when the studio officially closed. In 1991 he received the Total Citizen award from the Brigham City Chamber of Commerce. In 1944 Glenn married June Ricketts. They would have four children but later divorced. In 1968 he married Ida Jean Gibson in the Logan Temple and they would have two daughters. He died on July 16, 1999.

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Content Description

While the Compton Photograph Studio Archive is a wonderful resource that visually documents Brigham City from the 1890s to the 1990s and which provides the Box Elder County genealogist with tens of thousands of studio portraits, the age, condition, and vast bulk of the material constitute an enormous challenge to the archivist in terms of its storage, arrangement, and access. Researchers must allow for extra time in requesting materials. In addition to the disposal of nitrate film discussed above, many negatives were undoubtedly lost, destroyed, or given away prior to arriving in Special Collections & Archives. What does survive is a precious resource, and should be handled accordingly.

Nitrate conversion:

Film negatives from 1920 to 1938 were composed of cellulose nitrate, a highly flammable and inherently unstable medium used prior to the advent of "safety" film. Due to the volatile and rapidly-degrading nature of this film, most of the negatives were culled for views and scenes (e.g., anything besides straight portraiture), and the balance disposed of. No portraits are available that were taken on nitrate film. The views and scenes deemed worthy of retention were contact-printed, and the negatives disposed of. The resulting prints were identified with date and negative number and filed accordingly, along with the balance of the collection dating from 1938 (that year contained both nitrate and safety film) to 1994. All prints and negatives, dating 1920 to 1945, have been individually sleeved in acid- and linen-free envelopes.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Utah State University Libraries, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Permission to publish material from the Compton Photograph Studio Archive Collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Photograph Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Alternative Forms Available

View selected digitized images in this collection from the Digital Library

Preferred Citation

Compton photograph collection, 1884-1952. (P0313). Utah State University. Special Collections & Archives Department.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Between the 1880s and 1908 the studio numbered negatives sequentially as they were taken. In 1908 they started over with negative number 0001. From 1908 until 1913 various numbering schemes were used. After 1913 negatives would usually begin a calendar year with negative #1 (thus, "January 1, 1925:0001"), then continue a straight numerical sequence until the end of the year. However, quite frequently the studio would continue the sequence past the end of the year, so that a negative shot on December 31, 1930 might be 0879, and a negative shot on January 3, 1931, might be 0880. Then, later in the year (i.e. in March), the studio would begin at 0001 again. To avoid confusion and make for easier retrieval of items, the negatives are filed by year then by number, regardless of the month and day that the negative was taken. Sometimes there is more than one sitting in the same year that has the same number, so care should be taken to examine all of the negatives under a given year and number when trying to locate a subject.

This inventory consists of images that are views and scenes (the prints labled C-0001 through C-0923), and glass-plate studio negatives from the 1880s to 1932, and prints and soft negatives between 1920 and 1938. For studio portraits after 1938 please consult with print inventories (covering the years up to 1975) located in the Special Collections Reading Room. The print inventories, however, are not completely accurate and there are many negatives listed which are missing. Unless specified otherwise, all photographs were taken in Brigham City.

Acquisition Information

The Compton Photograph Studio Archive was accessioned into Special Collections & Archives in two separate shipments. Negatives dating from the 1880's to 1975 were received in 1985, and the balance, dating 1976 to 1994, were received in April of 1994 when the studio ceased operation.

Processing Note

Register completed by Ryan Lee, Rebecca Ruelle, Jacob Smith, Kellie Buckner, Elizabeth Woolcott, Amilia Yeates, Andrea Payant, Stephen Bradford, and Daniel Davis, 2001-2007. Entries for 1958 and 1959 added by Daniel Davis, December 2013.

Separated Materials

Nitrate negatives have been removed from this collection and placed in Cold Storage Boxes 17-20. Patrons must request to view these negatives 3 hours in advance.

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Detailed Description of the Collection