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Irvine, Edith

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1884 - 1949

Biographical History

Edith Irvine (1884-1949) was a teacher and photographer in Calaveras County, California.

Lizzie Edith Irvine was born January 7, 1884 in Sheep Ranch, California to Thomas Hanna Irvine and Mary Irene Hill. Edith was hired by the Standard Electric Company of California to photograph construction of the Electra Power Plant as a teenager. Her photographs largely concentrate on her community, including local schools, community events, and portraits of friends and neighbors; however, she is most famous for her 1906 San Francisco Earthquake photos. She was also a teacher who served as a Board of Education member as well as the principal of Moke Hill High School. Edith retired from education in the early 1930s due to health concerns. In her later years, she edited and contributed to Mokelumne Hill's newspaper, the Calaveras weekly. Edith Irvine died in Calaveras County, California on August 14, 1949.

Citation:
Gregory, K. Earthquake at dawn, c1992: CIP galley (photographer Edith Irvine; 22 yrs. old in 1906)

UPB MSS 9207, accessed Nov. 3, 2004. (hdg.: Irvine, Edith, 1884-1949; usage: Edith Irvine)

FamilySearch, via WWW, accessed September 16, 2012. (Lizzie Edith Irvine; born 7 January 1884, Sheep Ranch, Calaveras, California, United States to Thomas Hanna Irvine and Mary Irene Hill; died 14 August 1949, Calaveras, California, United States)

Edith Irvine, 1989: p. 6 (Edith Irvine; b. Jan. 7, 1884 in Sheep Ranch, California.; raised in well-established family in Mokelumne Hill, Calif.) p.16 (Formerly the editor of the Calaveras Weekly, Moke Hill's newspaper) p. 55-56 (Hired ca. 1899 to document the building of Standard Electric Company of California's Electra Power Plant-- a project headed by Polish Prince Andre Poniatowski) p. 10 (Worked as a school teacher untill approx. 1931; died in 1949) p. 16 (Listed in 1910 census as photographer) p. 20 (Listed in Calaveras Co. school directory as school board member and Moke Hill High School principal for the 1925/1926 school year) p. 31 (Edith in Bay Area awaiting sailing departure when April 1906 earthquake struck)

Ancestry, via WWW, accessed Dec. 19, 2012. (Full name Lizzie Edith Irvine, Daughter of Thomas Hanna Irvine and Mary Irene Hill, older brother Robine (Robert) Reddick Irvine)

Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:

Edith Irvine papers, approximately 1850-1949

 Series
Identifier: MSS P 585 Series 2
Scope and Contents

Comprised primarily of letters generated by the Irvine family between 1905 and 1933. Subjects of the letters include family genealogy, family property, and general family news. Also included are papers generated between 1884 and 1949 regarding Edith Irvine's birth and death, teaching career and community involvement, and physical and mental condition before death. This group also contains a 1907 map of San Francisco showing the effects of the 1906 earthquake and fire.

Dates: approximately 1850-1949

Edith Irvine photographs, approximately 1870-1931

 Series
Identifier: MSS P 585 Series 1
Scope and Contents Comprised primarily of photographs created by Edith Irvine between 1900 and 1920. Subjects of the photographs include: Yosemite National Park, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, construction of the Meadow Lake Dam and Electra Powerhouse, and early residents of Mokelumne Hill and Calaveras County, California. The most notable unit of photographs deals with the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco, which Irvine was on hand to photograph just after the quake occurred. Also included in the series...
Dates: approximately 1870-1931

Edith Irvine photography equipment, approximately 1891-1908

 Series
Identifier: MSS P 585 Series 3
Scope and Contents

Contains cameras and darkroom requipment belonging to Edith Irvine and manufactured circa 1890 to 1908.

Dates: approximately 1891-1908

Edith Irvine photographs and other material

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS P 585
Scope and Contents This collection is comprised primarily of photographs, letters, and papers generated by or relating to early twentieth century photographer, Edith Irvine. Creation dates for items range between approximately 1850 and 1949. Subjects addressed in the collection include: Calaveras County, California, Yosemite National Park, construction of the Electra Powerhouse, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, Irvine family history, and biographical information regarding Edith Irvine. In addition, the...
Dates: approximately 1850-1949

Filtered By

  • Subject: Calaveras County (Calif.) -- History -- Sources X

Additional filters:

Type
Archival Object 3
Collection 1
 
Subject
Mines and mineral resources -- California -- Calaveras County 3
Mokelumne Hill (Calif.) 3
San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., 1906 3
Amador County (Calif.) 2
Earthquakes -- California -- San Francisco -- Photographs 2