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Todd Walker miscellaneous acquisitions collection

 Collection
Identifier: AG 220

Abstract

Postcards, photographs, and audiovisual materials about or by Todd Walker, acquired by miscellaneous donors.

Dates

  • undated

Creator

Language of Materials

Material in English

Conditions Governing Access

To access materials from this collection, please contact CCP-RefDesk@email.arizona.edu

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission from the copyright owner (which could be the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates or literary executors) prior to any copyright-protected uses of the collection.

The user agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Arizona Board of Regents, the University of Arizona, Center of Creative Photography, including its officers, employees, and agents, from and against all claims made relating to copyright or other intellectual property infringement

Biographical Note

Todd Walker (born Harold Todd Walker) was born September 25, 1917 in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1922, his family moved to California and from 1930-1934 he attended Hoover High School in Glendale, California. After graduation, Walker became a painter for the Scenic Department of RKO Film Studios in Hollywood, where he worked until 1942. While working as a painter, he attended the Art Center School in Los Angeles as a part-time student. Walker was primarily a self-taught artist with a passion for photography.

In 1939, Walker begins a lifelong interest in making his own books by publishing his photographs in Harold T. Walker (one edition, self-published). From 1941-1943, Walker is a photographer with Tradefilms, Inc. in Hollywood. From 1943-1945, Walker serves in the Air Cadets of the US Army Air Corps. He is a pilot instructor in Arizona; second lieutenant. During this time, he marries Betty Mae McNutt (1944) and they have two children: Kathleen and Melanie.

From 1946 to 1970, Walker is a freelance photographer in advertising in Beverly Hills, California. During this time, he exhibits his work, with his first solo exhibition held in 1963 at the California Museum of Science and Industry. In 1964, Betty gifts Walker a small printing press as a Father’s Day gift, and he begins to make and distribute his own images. By 1965, he founds Thumbprint Press in Tarzana, California.

From 1966-1970, Walker is an instructor in photography at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. During this time Walker closes his commercial studio (1969). From 1969-1970, Walker is an instructor in non-silver photography at the University of California Extension in Los Angeles. In 1970, he becomes Associate Professor of Photography, Department of Art, in California State College but soon after moves to Gainesville, Florida. He also moves Thumbprint Press to Gainesville.

From 1970-1977, Walker is the Associate Professor in Photography and Printmaking, Department of Art, University of Florida in Gainesville. From 1976-1977, he applies for the Florida Council for the Arts Grant. In 1977, Walker settles in Tucson, Arizona and begins teaching for the University of Arizona alongside Harold Jones and W. Eugene Smith. Walker teaches photography at the University of Arizona until 1985. During this time, Walker receives a photography fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (1983-1984). In 1981, Walker begins teaching himself machine language and became interested in digital photography, and was considered a pioneer in many forms. In 1987, Walker retires from teaching to pursue individual projects. He continued his research into the digital realm until his sudden death on September 13, 1998.

Extent

1 Linear Foot

Metadata Rights Declarations

  • License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.

Arrangement

The Collection is arranged into the following series:

  1. Subgroup 1: Postcards, gift of Eugene Grissom, 3 items
  2. Subgroup 2: Photographs, gift of Terry Etherton, 10 items
  3. Subgroup 3: Audiovisual materials, gift of Ann Simmons Myers, 4 items

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Subgroup 1: Postcards, gift of Eugene Grissom, 2008

Subgroup 2: Photographs, gift of Terry Etherton, 2011

Subgroup 3: Audiovisual materials, gift of Ann Simmons Myers, 2013

Related Materials

AG 83: Todd Walker collection

There are also 400+ fine prints in the CCP’s fine print collection.

Processing Information

Finding aid updated by Alexis Peregoy in 2018.

Title
Todd Walker miscellaneous acquisitions
Author
Finding aid created by CCP Archives Staff
Date
© 2021
Description rules
Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard)
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English

Repository Details

Part of the Center for Creative Photography Archives Repository

Contact:
1030 N. Olive RD
Tucson Arizona 85721 United States