Dale Whitney papers

Collection

Identifier: WUA017

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Dale Whitney papers contain 35 mm negatives, photographic samples, test prints, and exhibition prints. A collection of publications featuring Whitney's photography and reportage along with several letters outlining photographic assignments is also included. Whitney's photographic assignments were geographically diverse, in that she took photographs in Austria, China, Greece, Italy, Korea, Oregon, and the Philippines. Also included are exhibition photographs and negatives along with her photographic equipment.

Dates

1951-1999

Creator

Whitney, Lois Dale, 1923-2003 (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Conditions Governing Use

Library acts as “fair use” reproduction agent.

For further information, see the section on copyright in the Regulations and Procedures of the Willamette University Archives and Special Collections.

Copyright Information: Before material from collections at Willamette University Archives and Special Collections may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permission. Persons wishing to quote from materials in any collections held by University Archives and Special Collections should consult the University Archivist. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.

Biographic Note

Lois Dale Whitney was a self-taught photojournalist who worked around the world on assignments for the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Atomic Energy Agency, and for many American and European publications.

Whitney was born in Chicago in 1923 and later attended the Art Institute of Chicago. She spent much of her career living and working in Europe. In Germany, while working as a radio writer for the US Army radio station, she "discovered how to take a prize-winning photograph." In less than two years she was exhibiting in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Whitney's first big story, "5 Years Later: The Children of Hungary's Revolution," appeared in LOOK Magazine in 1961. Her story pictorially described the psychological problems of the children of Hungary's revolution. Assignments for Vogue, The Saturday Evening Post, LOOK, M.D. and a number of medical and educational journals followed that first success.

In 1979, after twenty-four years of living and working in Europe, Whitney moved to Corvallis, Oregon. In 1990 she moved to Salem, Oregon. Many of her photographs are part of the collections of the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, The Portland Art Museum, Salem Public Library, and Salem Hospital. Whitney died of cancer on March 2, 2003.

Extent

8 Linear Feet (11 boxes)

Additional Description

Overview

The Dale Whitney papers contain 35 mm negatives, photographic samples, test prints, and exhibition prints from Whitney's time as an overseas freelance photographer. Locations for these images include Austria, China, Greece, Italy, Korea, Oregon, and the Philippines. Also included is a collection of publications featuring Whitney's photography and reportage and her photographic equipment.

Arrangement

This collection is described and arranged in two series. Series I: Photographs and Series II: Publications. Materials in both series retain original order.