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The Seattle Camera Club

KunishigeIn the mid-1920s a group of immigrant Japanese-American Pictorialist photographers in Seattle came together to form the Seattle Camera Club in order to share their love of photography. While the club only lasted from 1924-1929, it was amazingly successful. Members exhibited their work all over the world and their photographs were widely published and won many awards. Sadly, most of their work was lost over time for various reasons, including the internment of the Japanese during WWII.

Preserving the Seattle Camera Club photographs: Three important collections of photographs by camera club members reside at the University of Libraries Special Collections. The Iwao Matsushita, Frank Kunishige, and Dr. Kyo Koike photographs are an important resource for research and exhibition. These collections constitute the largest surviving group of work by Seattle Camera Club members. They are currently in need of preservation and processing work to help save them for future generations.

The Seattle Camera Club project was initiated by the UW Libraries with the UW Press and the Henry Art Gallery to draw attention to the important work the UW Libraries play in collecting, preserving and making accessible visual resources unique to our region. Your support is urgently needed. You can help preserve these important materials by giving a gift to the Historical Photography Fund.

    Koike

    Help Preserve the Seattle Camera Club Photographs:

    How to Give:

    • Go to Make a Gift Online
    • Under Giving Opportunities click on the Historical Photography Fund and then select Add to Basket.
    • On the right hand side, you will see 1 item added to your basket.
    • Click on Check Out and this will take you to a page where you can fill in the amount you want to give.
    • Continue to the next page where you see Donor Information. Fill this out and please be sure to be sure to put “SCC” in the comments box.
    • Complete the final page with your financial information and click submit.

    Thank you for your generous support! With your help, we can preserve these materials for the future. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the project and other giving opportunities Advancement Office at 206-616-6521.


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