Photography Collections Database

Record Detail

There are more than five million objects in the Harry Ransom Center's Photography Collection. Many records contain legacy descriptions. A review and update of our records is ongoing.

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Call Number:

PH-00101

Collection Name:

Rodney B. Radford Photography Collection

Creator:

Radford, Rodney B.

No. of Items:

118 photographs and 2 scrapbooks

Span Dates:

1920s-1970s

Description:

The collection consists of 118 loose photographs (975:0005:0001-0118) by Rodney B. "Rod" Radford (American, 20th century) and two scrapbooks. Rod Radford was born Weldon B. Radford, but changed his name to Rodney in 1938. Active in the 1960s and early 1970s, Radford's photographs typify the modest commercial work of the independent freelance photographer of that era. Working out of Florida he tended to document the indigenous wildlife and coastal activities of the state. The majority of his commercial work was published in magazines of the day devoted to boating and related water activities. Among the subjects Radford covered were: Hollywood, California, in the late 1920s and early 1930s; the construction of Boulder Dam (Boulder Canyon Project) in the 1930s; the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service, and the Food for Freedom Campaign in the 1940s. Group-level information follows.

Loose Prints
975:0005:0001-0028 -- Boating at Delray Beach, Florida, photos for "My Comic Camera" article;
975:0005:0029-0040 -- "Photo Hints" enlarger prints;
975:0005:0041-0064 -- Boating tips, photos of "The Joy of PVC Pipe";
975:0005:0065-0100 -- Animals of Florida;
975:0005:0101-0105 -- Unsold boating tips photos;
975:0005:0106-0118 -- Miscellaneous photos.

Scrapbook 1
975:0006:0001-0014 -- Bound scrapbook with black covers comprised of 58 pages. Adhered to the pages are clippings and rotogravure pages which include photographs by Radford. Also included are 8 Food for Freedom posters, from 1942-1943, featuring Radford's photographs.

Album
975:0007:0001 -- Spiral bound album with black covers comprised of 54 images over 27 pages.

Accession No(s):

975:0005:0001-0118; 975:0006:0001; 975:0007:0001

Location(s):

Radford, R., Box 1 (975:0005:0001-0118)
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Radford, R., Box 2 (Scrapbook 1 975:0006:0001-0014)
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Radford, R., Box 3 (Album 975:0007:0001)
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