The Florida Photographic
Collection of the Florida State Archives provides
vast visual documentation of Florida, its people and its culture. Images of
women
appear throughout the more than 800,000 photographs and 2,000 movies and videotapes
in this nationally recognized collection.
The holdings of the Photographic Collection form the most complete portrait
of Floridians in the state. Women are represented in the home, in the workforce
and in the military. They are shown washing, hunting, cooking, plowing, teaching,
sewing, politicking, and playing. Subject matter is diverse in terms of ethnicity
and religion. There are numerous stereotypical and sexist images, as well as
a multitude of strong pioneer portraits. Women of all ages, of all races, and
of all social classes are represented.
The majority of the photographs of women are found in the general photographic
section, arranged alphabetically by subject (the Collection includes subject
and personal name finding aids). Images of women can be found in all subject
categories including agriculture, aviation, government, integration, industry,
railroads, slavery, towns, and universities.
Most of the holdings in the Collection have been obtained singly or in small
groups. However, there are a number of prominent collections containing images
of women that are not included in the general files. Collections of possible
interest follow.
These black-and-white images reflect the lives of Florida's Seminole Indians
and the missionary activities of Deaconess Harriet Bedell among them. The photographs
include group portraits of Seminole men, women, and children, as well as images
of the Seminoles engaged in a variety of daily work and recreational activities.
This collection consists of glass negatives of Eastpoint and Apalachicola.
It includes family portraits and photographs of women working in fields, swimming,
and on the beach.
This collection consists of photographs of Seminole Indians. They portray
Seminole life on the Brighton and Big Cypress Reservations. There are many
images of Native American women and girls.
Harvey Slade was a commercial and portrait studio photographer in Tallahassee.
The collection is comprised primarily of portraits of Leon County residents.
This collection consists of images taken by commercial photographers John
Gordon "Jack" Spottswood and his son J. Gordon in the Jacksonville
area. There are some portraits, but the photographs primarily document Jacksonville's
businesses, organizations, and street scenes. Women are represented throughout
the collection. Three areas of interest are postmortem photographs, women working
in health care, and union strike photos.
This collection consists of glass negatives and photographs by noted portrait
photographer Alvan S. Harper, who worked in Philadelphia before moving to Tallahassee
in 1885. Many of the 1,300 portraits in the collection are of women. Especially
noteworthy are Harper's portraits of middle-class African-American women.
Photojournalist Ben L. "Red" Kerce settled in Tallahassee in 1944.
This collection contains approximately 1,600 images of the Tallahassee area,
including images of news events, Florida government officials, fairs, street
scenes, and residences. Women are well represented throughout the collection.
Forest Granger worked as a commercial photographer in Tallahassee. His photographs
include street scenes, parades, clubs, and portraits. There are many images
of women.
The Division of Tourism produces advertising, publicity, and promotional literature
to create and build Florida tourism and to encourage visitors from other states
and countries to come to Florida. Women are represented in many categories,
including agriculture, recreation, education, industry, and glamour.
