Description: |
Legal files, financial documents, by-laws, correspondence, newsletters and journals, and photographic materials document the founding and work of the Texas Photographic Society and its members. The collection is organized into the following three series: I. Texas Photographic Society, II. Photojournalism Contest Submissions, and III. Williams, Rick.
The first series consists of the records which document the administrative activities of the Texas Photographic Society (TPS) and its outreach efforts promoting the creation and appreciation of photography in communities throughout Texas. Several iterations of the bylaws and articles of incorporation, legal documents, and minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors evidence the process of transitioning from the Austin Photographic Cooperative (APS) to the nonprofit organization known as the TPS. A small amount of correspondence provides evidence of outreach efforts. Also present are materials pertaining to exhibitions organized by the TPS, including the Visions of Texans project, which traveled around the state and showed photographs documenting the life of Texans. Among these records, the only photographic materials present are slides. These include photographs chosen for a special issue of PhotoLetter (Vol. 8, No. 2), judged by Helmut Gernsheim; NASA-produced images; and assorted others, many unidentified.
Series II, which accounts for a large portion of the collection, is comprised of submissions for photojournalism awards, including the Charles Green - Headliners Awards and the North Carolina Press Association News, Editorial and Photography Contest. These entries, acquired by TPS member and University of Texas at Austin Professor Emeritus, J. B. Colson while serving as a contest judge, are organized by photographer, within each of the following categories: Spot News, Photo Feature, Sports News, and Photo Series. Included with the prints are two letters addressed to Colson regarding his judging, and materials relating to a class he taught on Sports Photography.
The final series consists of materials related to the publishing of Working Hands, a book of photography by Rick Williams. A former president of the Texas Photographic Society, Williams donated the TPS records as well as these materials pertaining to his published work. |
