New Photography Collections | Views of Oregon

Special Collections & University Archives is pleased to announce the acquisition of three new photography collections. These collections document Oregon’s landscape and culture in a wide range of formats and span over a century. 

The first is the Eric P. Gustafson photography archive, a rich and varied collection documenting the history of the Pacific Northwest. With an emphasis on rare and unique photographs from Lane County at the turn of the century, the collection greatly broadens our holdings on the history of Eugene and the surrounding area.  The Gustafson archive also includes a large number of Oregon postcards, organized chronologically and by county, as well as the photo morgue of two Register-Guard photographers working in the mid-20th century.  Eric Gustafson, a photo enthusiast and former paleontology professor at University of Oregon, graciously donated his collection to be preserved and made accessible by Special Collections & University Archives.   

The Tim Townsend slide collection is another generous donation. Consisting of over 7000 slides taken between 1970-1993, the images document Oregon counties both from the air and from the ground.  Tim Townsend taught high school geography for 40 years for the Eugene 4J district and used his slides to lecture about the changing Oregon topography due to shifts in the economy and land use policies.  As an added bonus, Tim managed to gain rare access to photograph the Rajneeshpuram compound throughout its tenure, including extraordinary aerial documentation of the environs and architecture.  This collection enhances our Rajneesh-related collections with new visual material. 

Lastly, we have significantly expanded our holdings of the documentary photographer, John Bauguess.  Bauguess has worked in the Eugene area for over 40 years, photographing everything from the UO wolf sanctuary to the Cottage Grove Halloween parade.  John has an extraordinary eye and his photographs reveal the complex nuances of human emotion and interaction.  We are thrilled to have a complete set of his work which provides excellent documentation of Oregon culture over four decades.   

We are working to ingest these new collections and will announce the publication of finding aids for these collections here on the SCUA Unbound blog. 

— Danielle Mericle, Curator of Photography Collections