Katherine Elizabeth McClellan (1859September 14, 1934) was a professional photographer working mainly in Upstate New York and Western Massachusetts from 1892 to 1918. In 1912 she was given the title "Official Photographer of Smith College".

Early life and education

McClellan was born and raised in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

in 1882 she worked for eight years in private schools and as a tutor in New York and New Jersey, then moved to

Saranac Lake, New York Saranac Lake is a village in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406, making it the largest community by population in the Adirondack Park. The village is named after Upper, Middle and Lower Saran ...

. In 1892, McClellan took up photography as a hobby and later pursued it as a profession.

Career

In addition to selling her photographs while in Saranac Lake, McClellan also published two viewbooks: ''John Brown, or A Hero's Grave in the Adirondacks'' (1896) and ''Keene Valley: In the Heart of the Mountain'' (1898) (references below). She announced in the latter book two more, one on Saranac Lake and the other on Lake Placid, but they never appeared. In 1903 McClellan started spending part of the year in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

. She opened a studio on State Street and announced in the ''Smith College Monthly'' magazine that she "was reading to take all order for photographs". A large share of her business came from the college. She was hired to make photographs to illustrate college publications and newspaper and magazine articles. The College also called on her to document physical changes on campus. Her views of buildings, classrooms, the campus, and special events highlighted the College's facilities while presenting a dignified image of education and life at Smith. In 1912 she was given the title "Official Photographer of Smith College". McClellan also produced for the Smith College yearbook portraits of students and faculty, and group photographs of club members and house residents. She also documented the activities and events of college life such as dances, proms, and dramatic productions. In addition to her work for the College she also took portraits of local people, visiting dignitaries such as Helen Keller,

Julia Ward Howe Julia Ward Howe (; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the original 1870 pacifist Mother's Day Proclamation. She was also an advocate for abolitionism ...

, and

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

. She also took images of local townspeople. In 1918, at the age of 59, McClellan retired to

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

. She and her sister, Daisietta McClellan, developed a tract of land known as McClellan Park, and McClellan continued to make photographs of the Florida landscape and its people. On her move to Florida, McClellan sold her studio to her collaborator of ten years, Eric Stahlberg. He continued to shoot images for the College through the late 1940s and sold her images, negatives, and films to the College in 1958.

Death

Katherine McClellan died in

, on September 14, 1934.

Publications

* *

Archival material

The Katherine Elizabeth McClellan Papers
were donated to

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

Special Collections by McClellan in 1918 and were added to over time by various donors.

Early life and education

Career

Death

Publications

Archival material

References

Further reading