Skip to main content

Portrait (full-length) of a woman and girl in front of a painted backdrop; posed beside the garden gate prop, the woman wears a long, light colored dress and is seated, holding an open book in her lap; girl wears a knee-length light colored dress and stands beside her, on the step; identified as Mrs. Frank Winston and Luta Axtell, circa 1890-1909

 Item — Box: 39
Identifier: 000-179-0510

Scope and Content

From the Collection: The Henry A. Schmidt Collection consists of photographs made between 1887 and 1924. A complete set of contact prints was made from the original glass plate negatives in the mid-1960s.

Major subject areas in the Schmidt Collection are: mining, ranching, rural and small town life, landscapes, still lifes, and portraits--including those of Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, African Americans, women, miners, ranchers, and frontier families.

Unlike the more polished and conventionalized likenesses produced by metropolitan studios, Schmidt's portraits often have an informal quality. His photographs made outside the studio provide us an image of the work and leisure of ordinary people living their everyday lives in the small mining towns and rural ranching areas of southern New Mexico at the turn of the century. The usefulness of the information in these images is increased by the clarity and quality of the photographs.

Series 1: Portraits (1887-1924)

This series contains studio portraits of men, women and children.

Series 2: Outdoor scenes (1887-1924)

This series consists of outdoor photographs of individuals and groups,activities and events,cowboys, ranching, cavalry, prospecting and mining, buildings, cityscapes, landscapes, animals and plants.

Series 3: Textual material (1887-1967)

This series contains photocopies provided by Raymond Schmidt (Henry's son). Photocpies include correspondence from Gustav Cramer, uncle of Henry and St. Louis photographer; articles about Henry, Raymond, and articles that likely included Schmidt's photographs; and Schmidt's photographer's diaries/logs.

Dates

  • circa 1890-1909

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Access Restrictions

The collection is available on microBox as well as modern printed photographs, and glass plate negatives. Contact the CSWR pictorial archivists to view the glass plate negatives.

Extent

From the Collection: 2032 plus items (75 boxes, 17 microboxes) : 1016 photographs, 1016 glass plate negatives, textual material, microforms

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451