Edith Irvine papers, approximately 1850-1949

Series

Identifier: MSS P 585 Series 2

Staff Only

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

Creation: approximately 1850-1949

Creator

Irvine, Edith (photographer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research. Proofs of the negatives and original photographs are kept in cold storage and access requires 24 hours advance notice.

Gelatin dry plate negatives are restricted.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from the Edith Irvine Photograph Collection must be obtained from the Reference Supervisor, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, and the L. Tom Perry Board of Curators.

Biographical History

From the Collection:

Edith Irvine (1884-1949) was a teacher and photographer in Calaveras County, California. She is best known for her photographs documenting the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

Lizzie Edith Irvine was born January 7, 1884 in Sheep Ranch, California and was reared in a prosperous Mokelumne Hill household. Edith took her first major photography assignment as a teen, when she was hired by the Standard Electric Company of California to photograph construction of the Electra Power Plant. Her most celebrated photographs, however, were taken in the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Later photographs largely concentrate on her community, including local schools, community events, and portraits of friends and neighbors.

Sometime after 1910, Edith turned to teaching as a profession. In addition to teaching, she 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.