Guide to the Thomas Sexton photographs collection
circa 1900-1929
Collection number: HMC-0219.
Creator: Sexton, Thomas.
Title: Thomas Sexton photographs collection.
Dates: circa 1900-1929
Volume of collection: 0.4 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: Alaskan photographs collected by a University of Alaska Anchorage professor.
Biographical note:
Thomas Sexton was born in 1940 in Lowell, Massachusetts. He obtained his Master of Fine Arts Degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1970. In that year he began work as a Professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Professor Sexton is also a photographer who collects antique photographs and he has written several articles on historic photography and photographers.
Collection description:
The photographs in this collection were collected by Professor Sexton. They include 170 black and white photographic prints and 44 glass plate negatives. The subjects of the images include Alaska Natives, schools, villages, animals, scenery, and buildings. Locations of the images include King Island, White Mountain, Teller, Deering, Point Hope, Chitina, Juneau, Atlin, Cordova and Nome.
Arrangement: The photographs are grouped by original type of image: prints, negatives, and glass plate negatives.
Digitized copies: 22 of the images have been digitized and are available on the Alaska’s Digital Archives. The glass plate negatives have been digitized and are available on-site in the Archives. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Access restrictions: The glass plate negatives are not accessible. Digital copies are available for reference use.
Rights note: Copyright to the images is not held by the Archives. Some photographs may be in the public domain.
Preferred citation: Thomas Sexton photographs collection, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Custodial history: Some of the glass plate negatives were originally housed at the Alaska State Library Historical Collections.
Acquisition note: Thomas Sexton gave most of the collection to the Archives in 1986. The Alaska State Library Historical Collections added some of the glass plate negatives to the collection in 1987.
Processing information: This collection was arranged and described prior to 1990. The photographs were grouped roughly by an assigned topic and divided into photographs with labels and those without. The collection was rehoused and the guide updated to meet current standards by Arlene Schmuland in 2015. Photograph captions and descriptions, if available, were retained and are represented in quotes in the container list. The glass plate negatives were digitized by Ashlyn Burns in 2023.
Container list:
| Box/Folder | Item Number | Description |
| 1/1 | 1-34 | Unidentified Alaska Native individuals. Some photographs may be from the Nome area. |
| 1/1 | 35 | “Alaska Native Teachers” — two adults; two children. |
| 1/1 | 36 | “for the little girl” — three Alaska Native children. |
| 1/1 | 37 | “Big Jim Eyek [sp] Family, 5/14/25.” |
| 1/1 | 38 | “Jennie Blatchford, (Dexter), and baby.” |
| 1/1 | 39 | “Joseph Kowchee and Buster McCollister, 2/24/25, taken by Peter Olson.” |
| 1/1 | 40 | “Seal skin puffed out[?], ‘Big Jim’ Eguk’s [sp] family. Also Mrs. Eduini, David Nyskuk.” |
| 1/1 | 41 | “June Brown, Evelyn Simon, Carita Walker, Marcella Reuben.” |
| 1/1 | 42 | “? and school house.” Man, dog sled, buildings. |
| 1/1 | 43 | “‘Pal’ and two of her puppies, 1923 or 1924.” |
| 1/1 | 44 | “Joseph Kowchee,” on snow shoes. |
| 1/1 | 45 | “Agnes, Marsella, Ruth.” Group of Alaska Native girls. |
| 1/1 | 46 | “Mary Reuben.” Alaska Native girl in front of spruce trees. |
| 1/1 | 47-51 | Unidentified White Mountain residents. |
| 1/1 | 52 | “Laddie, Lassie: White Mountain,” dogs in yard. |
| 1/1 | 53 | “White Mountain School Girls.” |
| 1/1 | 54 | “Isaac, Ivory carver, White Mountain.” |
| 1/1 | 55 | “Fourth Grade wearing parkas — Eskimo School — White Mountain, Alaska. April, 1924.” |
| 1/1 | 56 | “Picnic at White Mountain, Alaska, 5/17/25.” Landscape in back. Westernized dress. |
| 1/1 | 57 | “On top of White Mountain, first Sunday we were there: Mrs. McAllister, Muckluck, Miss French, nurse and dog Pat, Ernest, McAllister Boy and Pal, Lassie.” |
| 1/1 | 58 | “Laura and Carita Walker,” in traditionally styled parkas. |
| 1/1 | 59 | “Helen Egelik, wearing a beautiful parka.” |
| 1/1 | 60 | “Muck Chuck, the lame woman, Peter Kowchee’s sister.” |
| 1/1 | 61 | “Ruth Kowchee,” in traditionally styled parka. |
| 1/1 | 62 | “School Children on the ice in Fish River, White Mountain.” |
| 1/1 | 63 | “School children of White Mountain on the ice in Fish River, A.a.a.” Different group than previous picture. |
| 1/1 | 64 | School children on ice at Fish River. |
| 1/1 | 65 | “Maggie Kowchee.” |
| 1/1 | 66 | “Elizabeth Punmuk [sp], Edwin’s wife, Maggie Kowchee, Mrs. Olson, Feb. 1922.” |
| 1/1 | 67 | “Mayor Frederick of White Mountain, Alaska.” |
| 1/1 | 68 | “Esther Kowchee” |
| 1/1 | 69 | “Mary Reuben” |
| 1/1 | 70 | “Esther Reuben” |
| 1/1 | 71 | “Rosa Walker” |
| 1/1 | 72 | “Marie Abaurtock [sp], Martha Walker, Esther Kowchee” |
| 1/1 | 73 | “Maggie, Mrs. Olson, Ernest, Elizabeth” |
| 1/1 | 74 | “Marcella [and] Ruth Kowche[e]” |
| 1/1 | 75 | “school girls wearing the dresses made in their sewing classes, 1924, White Mountain, Aaa.” |
| 1/1 | 76 | “Some older pupils in White Mountain School, A.a.a.” |
| 1/1 | 77 | “Esther Reuben, Rosa Walker, Elma, Mary Reuben, Irene Real [sp], Lucy Frederick” |
| 1/1 | 78-82 | Unidentified structures and people. |
| 1/1 | 83 | “Nome and Alice and mining wagon.” |
| 1/1 | 84 | “Muir Glacier 1903 — at break [?] into sea — E. side.” |
| 1/1 | 85-90 | Dog teams. |
| 1/1 | 91-92 | “Mr. and Mrs. Cohn and I starting on my first dog team ride, C.S.M.” |
| 1/1 | 93 | “Mr. and Mrs. Walker, Kanakanak Aaa [Alaska], 1929” |
| 1/1 | 94 | “March, 1922. The trip to Golovin. Taken on the Frozen Bay. Some way to travel on salt water isn’t it?” |
| 1/1 | 95-102 | Kayaks, sailboats, and rowboats. |
| 1/1 | 103 | “Whaling Station, Akutan” |
| 1/1 | 104 | “Ernest riding a Alaska Native Kayak — Fiser [sp] River, White Mountain, Alaska, Sept. 1921.” |
| 1/1 | 105 | “Canoemen.” |
| 1/1 | 106-109 | Hospital and nursing scenes. |
| 1/1 | 110 | “Mona Lisa” C. L. Andrews photograph. |
| 1/1 | 111 | “Assiruk’s [sp] daughter, King Island Eskimo, Andrews photo, 1927. Died of too much White Man’s whiskey.” C. L. Andrews photograph. |
| 1/1 | 112 | “The ‘ocowoman’ [sp], King Island Eskimo, Andrews photo 1927.” C. L. Andrews photograph. |
| 1/1 | 113 | “Mrs. Beeson [sp] , Shaktolik Eskimo 1926, ChA.” C. L. Andrews photograph. |
| 1/1 | 114 | “Rosa Walker, White Mountain Eskimo girl, Andrews Photo.” C. L. Andrews photograph. |
| 1/1 | 115 | “Setting a seal net under ice, Shismaref, 1927. Andrews photo.” C. L. Andrews photograph. |
| 1/1 | 116 | “Old ‘Blind Man’s’ House I Think. White Mountain, A.a.a.” |
| 1/1 | 117 | “White Mountain, Alaska, 1924-25. Fred Walker’s Dog-Teams.” |
| 1/1 | 118 | “White Mountain, Alaska.” |
| 1/1 | 119 | “10/11/26, White Mountain.” |
| 1/1 | 120-126 | Walrus hunt photographs. |
| 1/1 | 127 | “Mrs. E. L. Range [sp] at Pt. Barrow.” |
| 1/1 | 128 | “Pt. Barrow” Alaska Native drummers and dancers. |
| 1/1 | 129 | “King Island Home” |
| 1/1 | 130 | “King Island Village” |
| 1/1 | 131 | “King Island” |
| 1/1 | 132 | “Teller Mission.” |
| 1/1 | 133 | “Dancers, Point Hope” |
| 1/1 | 134 | “Babies, Point Hope” |
| 1/1 | 135 | “Point Hope” |
| 1/1 | 136 | “Deering, Alaska, 1925. S.A.” |
| 1/1 | 137 | Reindeer herd, tundra, and mountains. |
| 1/1 | 138 | “Santa and his _____ reindeer, C.L.A.” |
| 1/1 | 139 | Tethered reindeer |
| 1/1 | 140 | “Herd of reindeer in the distance.” |
| 1/1 | 141-151 | Reindeer |
| 1/1 | 152 | “Reindeer and young.” |
| 1/1 | 153 | “Reindeer in corral — Rocky Point, August, ’22.” |
| 1/1 | 154 | “Simon” Reindeer corral near White Mountain. |
| 1/1 | 155 | “Joseph Kowchee, Big Ben, Simon, August, Fritzof Williams, Abraham Lincoln, Edward Delilah” |
| 1/1 | 156 | “Reindeer” |
| 1/1 | 157 | “Reindeer herd and faun in foreground.” |
| 1/1 | 158 | “Reindeer in corral near White Mountain, A.a.a.” |
| 1/1 | 159 | “Alaska reindeer in corral.” |
| 1/1 | 160 | “Alaska reindeer near White Mountain, Alaska.” |
| 1/1 | 161 | “Alaska reindeer, near White Mountain, A.a.a” |
| 1/1 | 162 | “Alaska reindeer.” |
| 1/1 | 163 | “Alaska reindeer near White Mountain, Alaska.” |
| 1/1 | 164-168 | Reindeer herding, corral, and branding |
| 1/1 | 169-171 | Arctic Chief vessel. |
| 1/1 | 172 | “‘Clam Bake’ to which I went on the boat to the Trilalik Indian Reservation, 1906.” |
| 1/1 | 173 | “Another view of the ‘Potlatch,’ 1906. Both taken ‘on the side.'” |
| 1/1 | 174 | Whale in water. |
| 1/1 | 175 | Seagulls and breaking surf. Hand-colored. |
| 1/1 | 176 | “Tlingit Indians, Mrs. Agnes R. Fletcher: Chief Eagle Horse.” [unreliable identification] |
| 1/1 | 177 | Sea ice. Hand-colored. |
| 1/1 | 178 | “An Eskimo Mother and Son” |
| 1/1 | 179 | Flat, snowy landscape, trees in the distance. |
| 1/1 | 180 | Winter landscape with trees. Mountains in the distance. |
| 1/2 | Copy negatives of seven photographs. | |
| 1/3 | Glass slide contact prints. | |
| 1/3 | 1 | Slide: No identification on slide (“Tanana” on side of boat). Slide broken. Envelope: “”Steamer on Yukon”. |
| 1/3 | 2 | Slide: “Mount Blackburn, Alaska. 16,140 Feet High. c. 1911 by P. S. Hunt.” Envelope: “Mount Blackburn.” |
| 1/3 | 3 | Slide: “Dock at Cordova Alaska. Covered with Copper Ore. Value $46 per sack. Thwaites 4088.” Envelope: “Ore on Cordova Dock. Thwaites 14088.” |
| 1/3 | 4 | Slide: “Muir Glacier on Glacier Bay, Alaska. Photo by F. H. Nowell.” Envelope: “Seal at Muir Glacier. Photog. Nowell.” |
| 1/3 | 5 | Slide: “2216. Cordova, Alaska. H. A. Ives. 110.” Envelope: “Cordova. Photog. H. A. Ives. 110.” |
| 1/3 | 6 | Slide: “Nenana River on gov. Railroad, Alaska. Slide broken.” Envelope: “Nenana R. and Gov. R.R.” |
| 1/3 | 7 | Slide: “Juneau, Alaska. WPCo. Slide broken.” Envelope: “Juneau.” |
| 1/3 | 8 | Slide: “The Midn… Slide broken.” Envelope: “Midnight Sun, Yukon.” |
| 1/3 | 9 | Slide: “4178. Hoonah Basket Weaver, Alaska. Slide broken.” Envelope: “Hoonah Basket Weaver.” |
| 1/3 | 10 | Slide: “Steel Bridge, Scene on White Pass & Yukon Route.” Envelope: “Steel Bridge W.P. & Y. Route.” |
| 1/3 | 11 | Slide: “”Princess Sophia” on Vanderbilt Reef. c. Winter-Pond Co., Juneau.” Envelope: “Princess Sophia.” |
| 1/3 | 12 | Slide: “On the Copper River Road, Alaska, the C. R. & N. 192 Miles Long. Kennicott is the Inland. Cordova is the Ocean Terminus.” Envelope: “Copper River R.R.” |
| 1/3 | 13 | Slide: “Captain Guest Hunting Party. C. Emswiler Guide. Seward, Alaska.” Envelope: “Mountain Sheep.” |
| 1/3 | 14 | Slide: No identification on slide (sled with dogs). Envelope: “Dog Team.” |
| 1/3 | 15 | Slide: No identification on slide. Envelope: “Lake Atlin.” |
| 1/3 | 16 | Slide: No identification on slide. Envelope: “Tutshi and Atlin.” |
| 1/3 | 17 | Slide: No identification on slide. Envelope: “Lake Atlin.” |
| 1/3 | 18 | Slide: “5607. Treadwell Mines, Alaska. Showing Juneau in Distance. C. WPCo.” Envelope: “Treadwell Mines, Juneau. Winter & Pond, 5607.” |
| 1/3 | 19 | Slide: “5614. Sitka & Mt. Edgecumbe. c. WPCo.” Envelope: “Sitka & Mt. Edgecumbe.” |
| 1/3 | 20 | Slide: No identification on slide. Envelope: “Moose.” |
| 1/3 | 21 | Slide: “An Eskimo Summer Kitchen.” Envelope: “Eskimo Kitchen” |
| 1/3 | 22 | Slide: “Princess Alice at Taku Glacier. WPCo.” Envelope: “Winter & Pond. Princess Alice at Taku Glacier 120.” |
| 1/3 | 23 | Slide: “5602. Salmon Leaping Falls. Ketchikan, Alaska.” Envelope: “Salmon, Ketchikan.” |
| 1/3 | 24 | Slide: No identification on slide. Slide broken. Envelope: “Hotel at Atlin.” |
| 1/3 | 25 | Slide: “Reindeer Herd, Alaska” Envelope: “Eskimos and Reindeer.” |
| 1/3 | 26 | Slide: No identification on picture. Envelope: “Interior [of Cabin].” |
| 1/3 | 27 | Slide: “1410. Muir Glacier, Alaska.” Envelope: “Muir Glacier.” |
| 1/3 | 28 | Slide: “Chitina, Alaska.” Envelope: “Chitina.” |
| 1/3 | 29 | Slide: “Carcross, Yukon.” Envelope: “Caribou Hotel, Carcross.” |
| 1/3 | 30 | Slide: No identification on slide. Envelope: “Calico Bluff.” |
| 1/3 | 31 | Slide: “Thwaites. 1857. Childs Glacier, Alaska. 300 feet high, 3 miles along face 1/4 mile distant.” Envelope: “Childs Glacier.” |
| 1/3 | 32 | Slide: “Scene on Gov. Railroad, Alaska.” Envelope: “Scene on Gov. R.R.” |
| 1/3 | 33 | Slide: “A Submarine Volcano. Bering Sea, Alaska.” Envelope: “Submarine Volcano.” |
| 1/3 | 34 | Slide: “Ptarmigan (pronounced Tom-i-gan) or Alaskan Grouse. In winter this bird is white, in summer brown.” Envelope: “Ptarmigan.” |
| 1/3 | 35 | Slide: “Copper River, Alaska. Publ. by E. A. Hegg, Cordova, Alaska.” Envelope: “Copper River.” |
| 1/3 | 36 | 5616. Steel Bridge. Copper River, Alaska. Showing Childs Glacier.” Envelope: “Bridge, Copper River R.R.” |
| 1/3 | 37 | Slide: “Bear Hole. Abercrombie Canyon, Copper River, Alaska. No. 277. Publ. by E. A. Hegg. Cordova, Alaska.” Envelope: “Abercrombie Rapids. Copper River.” |
| 1/3 | 38 | Slide: “2009. Birdseye View of Nome, Alaska.” Envelope: “Beach of Nome.” |
| 1/3 | 39 | Slide: “The Close of Day Looking Up the Yukon Vale, Y.T. 403,489.819.” Envelope: “Yukon & Klondike near Dawson.” |
| 1/3 | 40 | Slide: “4198. Kicksetti Totem and Sun House. Wrangell, Alaska.” Envelope: “Totem Pole, Wrangell.” |
| 1/3 | 41 | Slide: “Waterfront, Juneau, Alaska.” Envelope: “Waterfront, Juneau.” |
| 1/3 | 42 | Slide: “Happy Jack. Alaska Native of Sledge Island. King of Ivory Carvers.” Envelope: “Eskimo Chief in Costume.” |
| 1/3 | 43 | Slide: “Six Little Arctic Alaska Natives. Nome, Alaska. c. 1904 by F. H. Nowell. Watt & Bryant, Publ.” Envelope: “Eskimo Children.” |
| 1/3 | 44 | Slide: “Chitina Bridge. Copper River, Alaska.” Envelope: “Bridge at Chitina.” |
| 3 | Glass slides (closed to access: see copy prints above) |