C. R. Savage Photograph Collection, 1865-1910
P0038

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Scope and Content:

The C.R. Savage photograph collection consists of 76 original images taken roughly from 1870 to 1895. The majority of photos are portraits (many of children) taken in his Salt Lake City studio that include several prominent Utahans. The remainder of the collection consists of stereoscopic views, two views of the Salt Lake City Tabernacle, and two oversize landscapes.

Biographical Note:

Charles R. Savage (1832-1909) was one of the most prominent American photographers of the late nineteenth century. He is perhaps best known for shooting the coming together of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads at Promontory Point, Utah in 1869. His photographic trips, however, took him throughout the West from the 1860s to the 1890s and his imagess were sold across the United States and reproduced in Eastern periodicals. A convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he grew up in Southampton, England and moved to New York City in 1855. He slowly mastered the new medium of photography and by the time he and his young family made their way to Utah in 1860 he was ready to set up a permanent studio. Savage was a savvy businessman whose profits from a successful art/photography store funded his various photographic endeavors. In Utah he was known not only as a photographer but also as a philanthropist and passionate defender of the Mormon Chuch. He would eventually enter into polygamist unions with four women.

Researcher Note:

The C.R. Savage collection does not contain all the images taken by this photographer housed by the Special Collections & Archives department. The list at the end of the inventory is an aid to researchers who might be interested in other original Savage photographs we have. It should also be noted that many modern reproductions are scattered throughout the collections. Although images 1:78-1:81 do not list Savage as the photographer, their format and style are identical to other Savage prints.

Register completed by Ryan Swanson, October 2001, and revised by Daniel Davis, November 2006.

Inventory:

Box 1.

1:001. Portrait of woman in wedding dress, Mrs. Eliza Slade, 1877. Cabinet Card.
1:002. Three quarter profile portrait bust of Amelia Folsom Young, 1870s. Cabinet Card.
1:003. Full length portrait of Heber Jeddy and Lucy S. Grant. Taken on tenth wedding anniversary, 1887. Cabinet Card.
1:004. Bust portrait of Lucy S. Grant, November 1, 1887. Cabinet Card.
1:005. Bust portrait of Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Copyright 1888. Cabinet Card. Negative Available.
1:006. Bust portrait of two small children. Cabinet Card.
1:007. Bust portrait of a young girl. Cabinet Card.
1:008. Bust portrait of a young girl. Cabinet Card.
1:009. Full seated portrait of a young girl. Cabinet Card.
1:010. Bust portrait of a young girl. Cabinet Card.
1:011. ľ profile half portrait of teenaged girl with long dark hair. Cabinet Card.
1:012. Half portrait of young child. Cabinet Card.
1:013. Bust portrait of a Miss Belle Anderson, ca. 1880s. Cabinet Card.
1:014. Bust portrait of girl. Cabinet Card.
1:015. Bust portrait of Jennie Card of Logan, Utah, ca. 1880s. Cabinet Card.
1:016. Bust portrait of young girl. Miss Vivian Little, ca. 1880s. Cabinet Card. Negative Available.
1:017. Bust portrait of girl in fancy dress. Cabinet Card.
1:018. Bust portrait of woman, Miss Lindsay, horseshoe clasp under her chin. Cabinet Card.
1:019. Full sitting portrait of young child sitting on animal hides in summer dress. Cabinet Card.
1:020. Bust portrait of a balding middle aged gentleman with goatee. Description on back gives address of Mrs. Edwin Kimball, Salt Lake, Utah, 124 sixth E. St. Cabinet Card.
1:021. Full profile portrait of young woman, Susie Riter of Logan, Utah, ca. 1880s. Cabinet Card.
1:022. Bust portrait of Rosemary Johnson, ca. 1880s. Cabinet Card.
1:023. Full sitting portrait of young child in a long white dress with ribbons on shoulders sitting on animal hides. Negative Available. Cabinet Card.
1:024. Full sitting portrait of a baby in long white dress sitting on hides. Cabinet Card.
1:025. Bust portrait of toddler girl in white dress. Cabinet Card.
1:026. Bust portrait of young girl. Cabinet Card.
1:027. Portrait of young girl and a baby in large white dress. Cabinet Card.
1:028. Bust portrait of young child wearing a cap and a big bow on head. Cabinet Card.
1:029. Bust portrait of two young boys. Cabinet Card.
1:030. Bust portrait of young girl. Cabinet Card.
1:031. Bust portrait of woman and boy (probably mother and son). Boy with large bow tie. Cabinet Card.
1:032. Bust portrait of young child in white sweater. Cabinet Card.
1:033. Full portrait of young girl sitting on hides. Cabinet Card. Negative available.
1:034. Full portrait of two young girls. Rug draped furniture visible. Cabinet Card.
1:035a. Bust portrait of young woman. Cabinet Card.
1:035b. Bust portrait of Will C. Barnes (1858-1936), 1880s. Cabinet Card.
1:036. Sitting portrait of young girl holding a straw hat in white dress with button-up mid-calf boots visible. Cabinet Card.
1:037. Sitting portrait of boy in school uniform with book. Cabinet Card.
1:038. Standing portrait of long-haired girl leaning on a thick book on a table. Negative available. Cabinet Card.
1:039. Standing portrait of girl in fringed dress leaning on table with flowers and book. Negative available. Cabinet Card.
1:040. Portrait of young boy sitting in upholstered chair wearing a lace collar with crucifix around his neck and bracelet around right wrist. Cabinet Card.
1:041. Bust portrait of stern looking young girl. Cabinet Card.
1:042. Bust portrait of man with long graying beard. Cabinet Card.
1:043. Bust portrait of young man in overcoat and large Windsor tie. Cabinet Card.
1:044a. Sitting portrait of young girl in white dress. Negative available. Cabinet Card.
1:044b. Temple Square from south-east corner looking north-west, Salt Lake City, Utah; part of Utah Jubilee Exhibition Hall visible. 1897. Cabinet Card.
1:045a. Bust portrait of middle-aged woman with pendant and broach and earrings. Cabinet Card.
1:045b. Standing portrait of young girl with doll in toy crib. Merlie Savage, ca. 1890s. “Ralph’s little girl Merlie.” “Savage Grandaughter [sic] of C.R. Savage” Negative Available. Cabinet Card.
1:046. Profile bust of older gentleman. Letter N visible on tie-pin and he is wearing a three piece suit. Cabinet Card.
1:047a. Standing portrait of an older woman in dark dress with cap, possibly a widow, arm resting on upholstered chair. Cabinet Card.
1:047b. Portrait of two children. Standing boy holding hat with bows on it, sitting boy in dress with large buttons and lacy white collar sitting on a rock. Cabinet Card.
1:048. Bust portrait of woman wearing a ribbon on right lapel and wearing earring. Cabinet Card.
1:049. “Looking Across Donner Lake, To the Summit.” Two people visible in small boat. Probably in California. From Views of the Great West series. Stereograph
1:050. “Lake Phoebe, head of Canyon.” From Views of the Great West series. Stamp visible of “Alma Marker, Agent Manti City, Utah” on back. Probably in California. Stereograph.
1:051. Two people standing on “shore of Salt Lake, Wahsatch [sic] Mountains in the distance.” Note: mountains are not visible in the image. From Photographic Scenes in Utah, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming Territories series. Stereograph.
1:053. Interior of the Salt Lake City tabernacle decorated with flags and paper garlands. (Taken from board A-0319).
1:054. View of central Salt Lake City (including Tabernacle and foundation of Temple) looking south from Arsenal Hill, ca. 1870. From Views of the Great West series. Stereograph.
1:055. Group of men and women sitting/standing next to Soda Springs, Idaho, ca. 1880. From Photographic Scenes in Utah, Arizona, Montana, Idaho series. Stereograph.
1:056. “View of Camp Douglas from Residence of Commanding Officer, looking South.” Ca. 1890. From Views of the Great West series. Stereograph.
1:057. “Hanging Rock, American Fork Canon.” In Utah. Two men sitting on a Hand car on railroad tracks. From Views of the Great West series. Stereograph.
1:059-1:072 are Stereographs
1:059. "Top of Witch Rocks, Weber." In Utah, Weber Canyon, ca. 1870. From Union Pacific Railroad Views.
1:060. "Sentinel Rock - Echo Canon." In Utah, ca. 1870. From Photographic Scenes in Utah, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming Territories series.
1:061. "Church Butles - A Wash." In Echo Canyon(?), ca. 1870. From Photographic Scenes in Utah, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming Territories series.
1:062. "North Fork, above Alta, from the Track." In California(?) From Central Pacific Railroad series.
1:063. "Reflectives, Donner Lake." In California. From Central Pacific Railroad. Illustrated by C.R. Savage series.
1:064. "Devil's Gate - Distant View." In Utah, Echo Canyon, ca. 1870. From Union Pacific Railroad. Illustrated by C.R. Savage series.
1:065. "Finger Rock, near Tunnel No. 3." In Utah, Echo Canyon, ca. 1870. From Union Pacific R.R. Illustrated by C.R. Savage series.
1:066. "Mormon Tabernacle, 250 feet Long, 150 feet Wide, 80 feet High, will seat 12,000 Persons. Salt Lake City, Utah, ca. 1870. From Views of the Great West series.
1:067. "Needle Palm, (Yucca Brevifolia,) growing on the desert, south of St. George, Southern Utah." Joshua Tree, Utah, ca. 1870. From Views of the Great West series.
1:068. "West Side of East Temple Street, Salt Lake City." Ca. 1870. From Views of the Great West series.
1:069. "Wahsatch Mountains from University." Salt Lake City including view of the Exchange Building, ca. 1870. From Photographic Scenes in Utah, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming Territories series.
1:070. "Emma Mine, Little Cottonwood Canon." In Utah, ca. 1870. From Photographic Scenes in Utah, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming Territories series.
1:071. "Group of Ute Indians." Ca. 1880. From Utah. Illustrated by C.R. Savage, Salt Lake City series.
1:072. "Digging out a Train from a Snow Drift." Probably of the Union Pacific Railroad, ca. 1870. From Photographic Scenes in Utah, Arizona, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming Territories series.
1:073. "Scene in Logan Canon, Utah" Ca. 1880.
1:074. A view of Salt Lake City, probably taken from Capitol Hill, ca. 1865. Carte-de-visite.
1:075. A view of Lion and Beehive Houses in Salt Lake City, ca. 1870. Carte-de-visite.
1:076. A view of the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City under construction in the 1860s (probably a later printing from ca. 1900).
1:077. Cabinet Card, "On the grade for the Blue Lakes, Idaho," carriage pulled by three teams of horses in the Snake River Valley, ca. 1890s.
1:078. Cabinet Card, "Mormon Temple Block Salt Lake City," looking northwest at the Mormon Temple Square in Salt Lake City, ca. 1900.
1:079. Cabinet Card, Saltair Pavilion, ca. 1890s.
1:080. Cabinet Card, artists sketch of Saltair Pavilion, ca. 1890s.
1:081. Cabinet Card, "Interior of Mormon Tabernacle, showing great o[r]gan of 12.000 pipes.

Oversize Box 2.

1:052. “East end of Bear River Canon. Utah. U & N Branch. U.P.RY.” 1891. 10"x12" (A retired original photograph from board A-1746).
1:058. “Lake Blanche. Heart of the Wasatch Mts. Utah.” Probably taken in the 1870s. 17"x21".

Inventory Addendum:

Original Savage Photographs held by USU Special Collections& Archives but not part of the C.R. Savage Collection P0038.

A-0199a. The Lion House, Salt Lake City, Utah.
A-0199b. Temple Square, Salt Lake City, after completion of the Salt Lake Temple in 1893.
A-2399. Salt Lake Tabernacle Construction Scenes, 1860s. Reprinted by C.E. Johnson.
A-4432. Thomas W. Sloan, June 16, 1801.
A-4433. Rachel Ridgeway Ivins Grant (1821-1909).
A-4434. George Kirkham and Daughters Leah and Maud, 1894.
P0007, Maxwell D. Cohn Collection. 3:08:06.
P0018, Herschel Bullen Collection. 1:04-7, 1:15, 03:08, 03:12, 03:29, 3:38-47.
P0034, Whitney Smith Collection. 1:01, 1:01a, 1:04a, 1:06-09, 2:04-7, 2:19, 3:01, 3:03-04, 3:09-11, 3:15, 3:22, 3:24.
P0205, Western Views Photograph Album. 1:19-1:27.
P0316, Leonard Arrington Collection. 1:02:06-07, 1:03:01, 1:03:08, 1:06:02, 1:07:02-04, 1:17:02, 2:30:01-02, 4:02:01, 5:01:03-06, 5:01:08, 5:01:11, 5:01:13, 5:01:15-16, 5:05:01, 5:07:07, 5:09:08, 5:10:01, 5:10:09-09a, 5:11:04, 5:11:12.