American Historical Ephemera and Early Photography, including The Larry Ness Collection of Native American Photography

A group of 3 bound ledgers, two of which are identified to the business of F. Gutekunst. The third ledger, which is unmarked, was discovered with the other two ledgers offered here, suggesting that it contains records kept by Gutekunst or one of his associates. Details about the contents of each ledger/index are as follows:

12 1/4 x 13 3/4 in. ledger, spine with gilt lettering, "Orders" and "Gutekunst." Front cover with applied paper label inscribed, "Register 87094 / 1905 to 1912 / 99189." Contains more than 400 pre-printed pages with "F. Gutekunst" at top and columns below for "Date Ordered, Name, Address, Neg. No., No. Ord., Size, Style, Proof, Amount of Sale, Amount Paid, Charged, When Paid, When Del.," and an untitled column with notes. Each page includes manuscript entries dating from May 1905-December 1912. (Covers heavily worn, with front cover fully detached; first approx. 26pp. fully separated from spine but present; some chipping and edge wear to pages.)

14 x 9 in. ledger, spine with gilt lettering, "N[egat]ive Reg[is]ter" and "F. [Gu]tekun[st]." Manufacturer's label inside front cover, "The Burr Index Company" of Hartford, CT. Contains more than 600 pages with year written at top and pre-printed alphabetical designation. Columns below include two columns listing numbers, and a third column listing a name. Majority of pages include manuscript entries. (Covers heavily worn, with some loss to covers and spine; pages overall good, with occasional soiling and some edge wear.)

14 x 8 3/4 in. ledger, spine with gilt lettering, "4/4 Index No 6." Front cover with gilt lettering, "4/4 Index No. 6." Manufacturer's label inside front cover, "Miller, Megee & Co.," of Philadelphia. Contains more than 400 pages with month and year written at top and columns below listing a number, name, and type of photograph (i.e. "boudoir," "cab[ine]t," "miniature," "crayon," etc.). Each page includes manuscript entries dating from February 1887-February 1895, not all pages/entries in chronological order. The index is not identified to Gutekunst, but was found together with the other ledgers described above. (Wear to extremities, including loss to covers and spine; pages overall good with occasional soiling and some edge wear.)

Frederick Gutekunst (1831–1917) was a prominent and highly successful American photographer, known in his time as "The Dean of American Photographers" for his high-quality portraiture and innovative large-scale works. Based in Philadelphia, his career spanned over 60 years, during which he captured iconic images of American presidents, Civil War generals, and other notable figures.