Friends of Photography collection

The Friends of Photography records measure approximately 125 linear feet and date from 1964 to 2005, although the bulk of the material falls between 1985 and 2001 when the organization was based in San Francisco, California. Files from earlier years when the organization was located in Carmel, California were most likely lost during the group’s gradual move to San Francisco in the years following Ansel Adams death in 1984. Received in 2002 as a gift collection, records document the founding and growth of the Friends organization, its governance, administration, finances, programming, exhibitions and publications.

Records of the Board of Trustees seem to be complete, ranging from the years 1967 to 2001, and contain correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes, and committee files. While director files exist for James Alinder (1977-1987, 1989), Andy Grundberg (1993-1997), Deborah Klochko (1997-2001), and Richard Edwards (2001-2005, acting director during the dissolution process), there are no files from directors William Turnage (1972), Fred R. Parker (1972-1974), William H. Rusher (1974-1976), Jim Enyeart (1976-1977), Lynn Upchurch (1987-1988), or Ronald Sterling Egherman (1989-1992). It is possible that files from these directors’ tenures were lost or discarded during the move to San Francisco.

Documentation of the Friends’ facilities in San Francisco is plentiful. The construction of the Friends of Photography’s second home on Mission Street in San Francisco (completed in 2000) is well recorded in the files of then-director Deborah Klochko. Included are architectural proposals, blueprints, plans, memos, notes and photographs of the project’s progression.

The collection contains extensive files for exhibitions shown between 1988 and 2001, including slide libraries documenting the individual pieces from each exhibition. Some documentation, particularly mailings and announcements, exists for exhibitions held prior to 1988. The Friends created recordings, both audio and video, of their exhibitions as well as guest lectures, interviews, and educational programming. These recordings span events held from 1987 to 1997. Many tapes are missing labels and/or dates.

Development records contain grant applications and foundation files, as well as annual auctions and other fundraising programs. The education department of the Friends is well documented with correspondence, files, photographs, and memos from the early 1990s through 2001. Earlier records, back to 1972, are available for the workshop programs.

A highlight of the collection is the complete run of Friends of Photography publications, including the newsletter re:view, journals See and Untitled, and all monographs from 1969-2001. A file of Ansel Adams papers includes original correspondence about the early years of the Friends, and a dismantled scrapbook documents exhibitions from 1990 to 1993.