Charles Pratt collection
-
Not requestable
Scope and Contents
This collection includes papers and photographic materials of the late photographer, Charles Pratt.
Series 1, Correspondence, from 1950-1976, is arranged chronologically and contains correspondence with Berenice Abbott, Rachel Carson, Giselle Freund, Lisette Model, Beaumont Newhall, Lilo Raymond, Aaron Siskind, Ralph Steiner, Paul Strand and David Vestal, among others.
Series 2, Activity files, contains three subseries: Exhibition files, Book projects, Books, articles. These materials contain images by Charles Pratt.
Series 3, Photographic materials, contains the following subseries: Print files, which includes photographs for Pratt’s book, Here on the Island; Contact sheets, which correspond to several book titles; Color transparencies; Negatives. There are additional materials that have not been completely organized or indexed, which include 5 reels of film and other miscellaneous materials.
Dates
- 1950-1976
Creator
- Pratt, Charles (Person)
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
Copyright to Charles Pratt’s work is held by his son, Mike Pratt. Permission to quote or reproduce must be obtained from the estate of Charles Pratt by Mike Pratt.
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
Charles Pratt, American photographer, was born on April 13, 1926 in New York City. He received a BA in 1948 from Yale University. From 1949-1956, Pratt was employed as a stage manager for ten Broadway shows. He began photography as an amateur in 1951 and became a full-time professional photographer by the late 1950s. Pratt started exhibiting his work around the same time, and participated in several group and solo exhibitions through the 1960s. Known as a “nature photographer,” Pratt captured the New England coast and countryside — shooting mostly in Maine, Connecticut, and New York City. Pratt was also an accomplished writer, which can be witnessed in several publications he authored and attributed to. Pratt died in 1976 from a heart attack.
Chronology
- 1926
- Charles Pratt born on April 13, New York City, New York.
- 1944-45
- Volunteer ambulance driver for American Field Service in Italy.
- 1948
- Graduated from Yale with a BA.
- 1948-56
- Stage manager; partner in Kanter & Pratt concert producing company.
- 1951
- Married Julie Follansbee (actress); begins to study photography with Lisette Model, Sid Grossman, and David Vestal.
- 1956
- Son Mitchell (Mike) Charles Pratt born; Sid Grossman dies.
- 1958
- Begins working as a full time photographer; Rutgers Art Department, exhibit with Ann Treer.
- 1959
- Image Gallery, exhibit with Ann Treer; Journey to the Cape.
- 1961
- Image Gallery, solo and group exhibit.
- 1962
- Film: Here at the Water's Edge with Leo Hurwitz; Camera Infinity, solo.
- 1963
- Portfolio in May issue of Fortune.
- 1965
- Cober Gallery, solo exhibit; The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson reprinted with Photographs by Charles Pratt; At Night by Philip Ressner, Photographs by Charles Pratt; Portfolio in July issue Infinity.
- 1966
- Pratt Institute, solo exhibit; Rye Art Gallery, solo exhibit; Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photography in the Fine Arts exhibit; The Edge of the City, book.
- 1967
- EXPO '67, exhibit; Portfolio in U. S. Camera Annual; Life, Special Photography Issue.
- 1968
- New England Aquarium, Boston, group exhibit; Special portfolio in Photography Annual.
- 1969
- Cober Gallery, solo exhibit; heart attack.
- 1971
- The Rocky Coast by Rachel Carson, Photographs by Charles Pratt.
- 1974
- Here on the Island written by Charles Pratt.
- 1976
- Died of heart attack on May 26 in New York City.
Extent
37.5 Linear Feet
Metadata Rights Declarations
- License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Creative Commons license.
Abstract
Papers and photographic materials of Charles Pratt (1926-1976), photographer. Includes photographs, negatives, transparencies, contact sheets, books and book dummies, correspondence, other papers, and a Polaroid catalog to the prints. Of special note are the materials related to Pratt's book projects — At Night, The Island, and The Edge of the City. Among the correspondents are Berenice Abbott, Giselle Freund, Lisette Model, Beaumont Newhall, Lilo Raymond, Aaron Siskind, Ralph Steiner, Paul Strand, and David Vestal.
Arrangement
The Collection is arranged into the following series:
Series 1: Correspondence, 1950-1976, 9 folders
- Correspondence Index
Series 2: Activity files, n.d., 1961-1974, 7 boxes
- Subseries 1: Exhibition files, n.d., 1961-1974, 13 folders
- Subseries 2: Book projects, n.d., 1965-1972, 4 boxes/47 folders
- Subseries 3: Books, articles, n.d., 2 boxes
Series 3: Photographic materials, n.d., 1953-1976, 46 boxes
- Subseries 1: Print files, n.d., 2 boxes
- Subseries 2: Contact sheets, 1953-1976, 33 boxes
- Subseries 3: Color transparencies, n.d., 1960-1969, 11 boxes
- Index to Published Photographs listed by abbreviated book title
- Appendix A: Original Inventory
- Appendix B: List of Photographic Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was a gift of Julie (Follansbee) Pratt in February 1992.
General
- Photography—New York (state)—New York
Processing Information
The collection was processed by the Center’s archivist in 1993.
The finding aid was updated and entered into ArchivesSpace by Alexis Peregoy in 2016. The finding aid was updated again by Tai Huesgen in 2020.
- Title
- Charles Pratt collection 1950-1976
- Author
- Finding aid created by CCP Archives Staff
- Date
- © 2020
- 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
