James R. Hooper photograph collection

Collection

Identifier: Collection 059

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection began when Hooper decided to display photographs of old Grand Rapids in the Michigan National Bank Window during the summer of 1944. He invited the public to bring additional photos and to help identify early views. During the succeeding two years he amassed a collection of almost 1,000 copy photographs. These copy photographs, consequently, duplicate photographs in the Library's general GRPL Photo Collection, the Fitch Collection, Merrill Collection and Johnston Collection. At the time of donation, the Hooper prints were given to the Library, while the negatives and original display plates were given to the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

The collection consists of 770 known images, of a set collected adn numbered by Hooper as 1 to 906. The images document the history of Grand Rapids (Mich.), from as early as 1836 to about 1940, including specific events in the city's history, such as the Water Reservoir Break in 1883 and the Flood of 1904. Dates or circa dates are given with the photos where known.

Other sources of his photos are documented in a black notebook, included in this collection. He also used other sources, including published books, which remain unidentified. Negatives, that appear to be the descriptive text from the original exhibit, are also included here.

Dates

1836-1940

Biographical / Historical

James R. Hooper was born in Cresco, Iowa in 1886. At the age of 13, the family moved to Rockland, Michigan. Hooper attended Michigan State University, then known as the Michigan Agricultural College, and later graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1912. Upon graduation from law school he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and began working for the Michigan National Bank, eventually becoming Senior Vice-President and Trust Officer. Hooper was an active Mason. He died on July 17th, 1949 of a heart attack. No other information is currently known on Hooper or his photography interests.

Extent

2.42 Linear Feet (Five boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The James R. Hooper collection contains copy photographs collected by Hooper in the 1940s. The images document the history of Grand Rapids (Mich.), from as early as 1836 to about 1940. Hooper originally collected the photographs for use in a window display at the Michigan National Bank in the summer of 1944. He displayed photographs of old Grand Rapids and invited the public to bring additional photographs and to help identify the early views.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

James R. Hooper, accession numbers 00.000, 00.[3504].1

Related Materials

Collection 18 - Fitch photo collection Collection 54 - Grand Rapids Public Library photo collection Collection 66 - Johnston photo collection Collection 70 - Merrill photo collection Collection 91 - Grand Rapids Illustrated collection, specifically the title "Art Works of Grand Rapids, 1896."

Notes on Missing items

Of the 906 numbers that are believed to have existed in Hooper’s set, a range from 1 to 791, and 901-906 is found in this collection/finding aid, with some occasional gaps of numbers that were either never received, or disappeared before formal archival processing in 1988.

Nos. 792-900 are believed to have never been received and are absent from this collection.

For missing numbers 515 through 545, Hooper notes “Victor Stuart’s book of 1896”. More correctly, these images appear to be those included in the publication “Art Work of Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1896” by Lewis G. Stuart, which can be found in Coll. 091, but have not been included again in the Hooper Collection here.

However, it should be noted that only 791 items are described in Hooper’s notebook, plus another 128 in a section called “Hooper Collection Plates.” So, actual holdings in this Hooper set and his documentation do not match.

Also, other gaps in numbers in the 1-791 series, which were not available for the 1988 processing, have been so noted in this version of the finding aid. For some of these images Hooper’s notebook annotation states that he did not finally use the image, but for others the reason for their absence from this Hooper Collection is unknown.

In other cases four different Hooper image numbers are actually represented by only one piece of paper, which contains a composite image on one sheet of four different images. Thus, the total count of actual items that exist in the collection is different from the Hooper numbers.

Finally, additional items of this total, that were processed in 1988, are now missing and are documented using the term “Missing”. It is hoped that these items are simply misplaced in other archival collections through use, and will be recovered in time.