Photograph Album Documenting the Sarin Family of Riga, Latvia and Cordova, Alaska, c. 1900-1930.
Alaska and Latvia: 1900-1930. Oblong folio album measuring 15 x 9 ½ inches, with 333 photographs included, including some photographic postcards. Photos generally fine, some loose in album, album very good overall with some light wear. Item #List1725
An interesting photographic record of Latvian immigration and the period of population growth of Cordova, Alaska in the early part of the twentieth century, and of the European presence in Alaska generally. The population of Cordoba grew during this period as a hub for copper ore coming out of the Kennecott.
The collection is neatly divided between views of Cordova and the surrounding scenery, and family photos and pictures of Latvia, with some photographs of what appears to be California. The Alaskan views include the railroad, some of the copper infrastructure, and the town of Cordova, as well as the natural scenery of the area. It is unclear in what capacity the Sarin family traveled to Alaska, though postcards addressed to them in Cordova suggest they were not merely vacationing. One image shows an entire family in an Alaskan river. Another shows the residence of an I.C. Lee, who we can’t identify. A photograph of the Berengaria, a large German passenger vessel, suggests that possibly the family traveled first from Liverpool to America before continuing to Alaska. The scenes in Latvia include some pictures of landmarks and scenery around Riga. A few earlier cabinet cards are included.
Overall an interesting photographic record of a Latvian family’s time in America, and a fairly extensive photographic record of the Cordova area during the period of growth surrounding the copper industry.
Price: $950.00
Status: On Hold