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LaClaire portraits collection

 Collection
Identifier: Collection 053

Scope and Contents

The collection contains 28 13 x 10 inch photographs mounted in window mats with images of 29 leading writers from Grand Rapids in the 1930s and 1940s. Image #21 contains 2 of the authors photographed together.

An article in the Grand Rapids Mirror, May 1942 (see Box 1) suggests that the Grand Rapids Public Library may have been the leader in the selection of these authors, and perhaps in commissioning the photos from LaClaire. A reception and tea was held for those honored in the images, at the Library, during National Books Week in November 1941. The twenty nine individuals represent various types of authors, from scholarly to children's fiction, newspapers to short stories.

The original photographs that initially formed this collection are now supplemented by the book Photographic Portraiture, which documents two generations of the LaClaire Studio, and it’s notable subjects.

Dates

  • 1916-2009
  • Majority of material found within 1930 - 1939

Creator

Biographical / Historical

Maurice Carnes LaClaire was born in Big Rapids in 1901. He developed an interest in photography while attending Ferris State. Upon graduation he moved to Grand Rapids and opened a photography studio. LaClaire pioneered direct color portraiture in 1936, and afterward worked with the Kodak-Eastman Company in the testing of several color processes. LaClaire presented one-man shows at the Marshall Fields Galleries in Chicago, at the Smithsonian, and at the Eastman House in Rochester, and won various national and international competitions for his color work. He died in Grand Rapids on October 25, 1970 at the age of 69.

Please See David LaClaire’s book Photographic Portraiture for additional biographical information.

For published information on the Grand Rapids Public Library exhibit and event honoring the authors depicted in this collection, see: “Local Authors Contribute to the World of Literature” Grand Rapids Mirror, May 1942

Extent

2.6 Linear Feet (Two boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Maurice LaClaire (1901-1969) was an internationally known Grand Rapids (Mich.) photographer. The collection contains 29 portrait photographs of leading Grand Rapids authors of the 1930s. The photographs were exhibited at the Grand Rapids Public Library during Book Week in 1942. The collection also contains a copy of Photographic Portraiture, published by by Maurice's son, David B. LaClaire, in 2003. This publication includes images of Grand Rapids individuals, as well as national notables, taken by Maurice or David from 1916 into the 2000s.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Maurice Carnes LaClaire, 1941; accession numbers 1941.001, P2003.021

Title
Finding aid for the LaClaire portraits collection
Subtitle
Maurice LaClaire author's portraits and the portraiture of Maurice and David B. LaClaire
Status
Completed
Author
William C. Black
Date
December 1987
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository

Contact:
Grand Rapids Public Library
111 Library Street NE
Grand Rapids Michigan 49503 USA
616-988-5497