Skip to main content

C. R. Savage landscape and family photographs

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSS 7896

Scope and Contents

Collection includes photographs taken by Savage of scenic landscapes in national parks in the western United States, photographs of the Savage family, and manuscript items related to Savage. Materials date from between 1830 and 1949.

Dates

  • 1830-1949

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from the C. R. Savage landscape and family photographs must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Biographical history

C. R. Savage (1832-1909) was a photographer in the late 1800s and early 1900s of the American West.

Charles Roscoe Savage, born August 16, 1832, in England, became one of the foremost nineteenth-century landscape photographers of the western United States, as well as a renowned studio portrait photographer, with his studio in Salt Lake City, Utah. The idea to emigrate from England to Utah undoubtedly began shortly after his 1848 baptism and membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

Savage's immigration in 1856 to New York marked the beginning of his known interest in establishing a photography business. On assignment from the LDS Church he traveled to Florence, Nebraska. His family subsequently joined him in 1860 and Savage established a primitive studio in Council Bluffs, Nebraska. Finally, the family made their way across the country arriving in Salt Lake City on August 29, 1860. The next day he made business arrangements with Marsena Cannon, a daguerreotype photographer and owner of a studio on East Temple. In 1862, with Cannon's departure to St. George, Utah, Savage formed a partnership with George Martin Ottinger. Savage & Ottinger legally dissolved their firm in 1870, and that same year Savage formed the Pioneer Art Gallery, and in 1875, needing more space, he replaced it with the Art Bazaar.

On June 26, 1883, his Art Bazaar burned to the ground, with all of his negatives. After his death on February 3, 1909, another fire in 1911 destroyed all of the negatives from the last twenty-five years of his career. Although his sons continued to operate the business, the Art Bazaar closed its doors permanently on December 31, 1926.

Extent

1 box (0.5 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

Arranged into three series: I. C. R. Savage photographs of nature and buildings, circa 1830-1900. II. C. R. Savage photographs of the Savage family, 1868-1938. III. C. R. Savage collection of manuscripts, 1876-1949.

The collection was maintained in its original order.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Kept in cold storage; access requires 24 hours advance notice.

Custodial History

C. R. Savage was the photographer; his son, Roscoe Eddington Savage, inherited the photographs, which were passed on to his son Gilbert Benedict Savage. They were then passed on to his daughter Margaret Jane Savage; she gave the photographs to her daughter Pamela Gilbert Shangler. Pamela Shangler donated the collection to the L. Tom Perry Special Collections.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Pam Shangler; 2010.

Appraisal

Photographs (Photograph Archives).

General

The notes on the back of the photographs were written by G. B. Savage.

Processing Information

Processed; Lionel Thomas, student photograph processor; 2011.

Title
Register of the C. R. Savage landscape and family photographs
Status
Completed
Author
Lionel Thomas
Date
2011 June 23
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States