| In Memoriam
On January 13, 2003, photographer, collector and photo
historian, Peter Eric Palmquist, succumbed to severe brain injuries
brought on two days earlier by a hit and run accident that occurred
while walking his dog, Max, in Emeryville. Peter is survived by
his long time partner and fiancée, Pam Mendelsohn.
Born in Oakland in 1936, Peter moved to rural Humboldt
County in his early childhood. At the age of twelve he taught himself
photography. After graduating high school, Peter joined the military,
selecting to serve as an Army photographer. Discharged five years
later, he returned home and enrolled at Humboldt State University
where he took the job of school photographer, a position that lasted
28 years before he retired in 1989.
For Peter, the serendipity of photo collecting occurred
in 1971 when given some old photographs by a McKinleyville antiques
dealer. His interest in photo history can be experienced in one
of his more than 60 books and 320 articles authored on the subject.
Peter was the founding editor of The Daguerreian Annual, editor-in-chief
of Photographers: A Sourcebook for Historical Research, past President
of the National Stereoscopic Association. He was also a contributing
editor or on the editorial board of Journal of the West, The Photographic
Historian, The Californians, the Journal of California and Great
Basin Anthropology. Given his extensive knowledge, Peter frequently
enjoyed lecturing and consulting at museums and libraries across
the West. Evidently a fervent researcher, Peter’s latest project
was as founder and curator of the Women in Photography International
Archive.
Over more than 20 years, Peter amassed a notable collection
of 19th Century Western photography. Of the estimated 250,000 images,
about one-third were taken by Humboldt County photographers. Much
of his collection is now part of Yale University’s Beinecke
Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
The family requests that any donations be sent to
the “Peter E. Palmquist Memorial Fund for Historical Research”.
The fund will be awarded bi-annually to independent researchers
of under-researched women photographers internationally and Western
American photographers before 1900. Tax-deductible donations can
be sent care of the Humboldt Area Foundation, “Peter Palmquist
Memorial Fund”, PO Box 99, Bayside, CA 95524.
A memorial is planned in Eureka on April 12th –
for more information go to http://www.carlmautz.com/palmquistservice.htm |
