Elda and Leva Walker as children

Title

Elda and Leva Walker as children

Description

A formal studio portrait of a young Elda and Leva Walker that was sent to their "Grandpa and Grandma" in 1887. They were the daughters of Levi C. and Belle Putman Walker. Their paternal grandparents were the former missionaries Elkanah and Mary Richardson Walker, but Elkanah had died by this date; so the photograph was likely addressed to their maternal grandparents, the Putnams. Leva and Elda graduated from Pacific University in 1900. Born in 1877 and 1878, they were most likely the first women from Forest Grove to earn a doctoral degree, Elda from the University of Nebraska and Leva from Cornell University. Both Doctorates were in Biology. The sisters taught together at the University of Nebraska and lived together until their deaths in 1970 and 1971. This photograph was taken in Portland at the W.H. Towne photography studio. The portrait shows them in a bucolic outdoor setting, with a painted meadow backdrop, stone wall and hay rug.
[back] Elda and Leva Walker, 1887, To Grandpa and Grandma.

Date Created

1887

Medium

photographic prints
albumen prints

Language

English

Identifier

PUApic_008891

Rights

Online access to this image is for research and educational purposes only. To inquire about permissions, order a reproduction, or for more information, please contact the Pacific University Archives at archives@pacificu.edu.
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/

Contributor

San Francisco Gallery

Type

Still Image