George E. Anderson Photograph Collections

George Edward Anderson was a photographer active in Utah in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Church History Library holds several collections of his work.

Biography

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 28, 1860, Anderson apprenticed under Charles R. Savage before starting his own studio. Anderson eventually moved to Manti, Utah, before settling in Springville, Utah, in late 1888.

He was called to serve in the British Mission in 1906, though he did not depart until April 1907. As he traveled to the United Kingdom, Anderson spent several months visiting and taking photographs of Church history sites, finally arriving in his mission field a year after he left home. Many of these images were published alongside narratives written by John Henry Evans as The Birth of Mormonism in Picture in 1909.

Though these landscapes became some of his most famous works, Anderson was primarily a portrait photographer. He also traveled to and took photographs of newly constructed Church temples. He died at his home in Springville on May 9, 1928.

Collections

The following is a partial list of collections of images taken by Anderson. Not all of them have been digitized, but those that are available online have been linked. You can find additional photographs by searching the Church History Catalog for “George Edward Anderson.” Use the filters on the left-hand side of the page to limit your search results to “Photographs.”

Glass plate negative collection, 1897–1927 (PH 725)
The bulk of this collection consists of views of Church historic sites in Vermont, New Hampshire, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois taken from 1907 to 1908 and from 1911 to 1912 as Anderson went to and returned from his mission to the United Kingdom. The balance of the collection consists of photographs taken in several Utah communities (including Salt Lake City, Provo, and Springville) showing businesses, farms, celebrations, and residences. Also included are photographs taken in London and Iceland.

Photograph collection, circa 1880–1929 (PH 726)
This collection includes images of people, places, dwellings, meetinghouses, and events in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont. This collection also includes images of Church historic sites, such as the Joseph Smith Memorial in Sharon, Vermont, and state and county fairs. Group portraits include veteran reunions throughout Utah, among them an encampment at Utah Lake.

Church history in photographs, 1907 (PH 679)
This album contains images of Church historic sites. Anderson visited and took photographs en route to his mission in the United Kingdom. These images were eventually published as The Birth of Mormonism in Picture.

Photographs, circa 1900–1927 (PH 12141)
Photographs and glass and acetate negatives created by Anderson. The groups represented in the photographs include bands, orchestras, baseball teams, war veterans, Boy Scouts, members of the Old Folks organization, youth groups, and families. There are numerous images that appear to have been taken at outdoor community events, such as July 4 or July 24 celebrations.

Photograph collection, circa 1890–1927 (PH 10485)
Photographs created by Anderson from 1897 to 1927. Includes images of families, religious and fraternal organizations, war veteran encampments and events, Church historic sites, individuals, and staged scenes. Glass negatives and acetate cellulose negatives are also included. The majority of the negatives in this collection do not have corresponding photographic prints.

Church historic sites include the Susquehanna River; the Joseph Smith Memorial cottage and monument; the Smith farm in Palmyra, New York; the Oliver Cowdery Monument in Missouri; the Salt Lake Temple; the Manti Utah Temple; the Cardston Alberta Temple; the Mesa Arizona Temple; Cove Fort; the Hill Cumorah; and the Summit Stake pioneer monument.

Anderson family photographs, circa early 1900s (PH 7673)
Portraits of Anderson; his wife, Olive; their children; and unidentified friends. It also includes photographs of an unidentified home and Anderson’s photography studios. (The locations are unidentified, but Anderson had studios at various times in Salt Lake City, Provo, Springville, Spanish Fork, and Manti, Utah).

George Edward Anderson Collection (BYU)

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This collection, located at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, has over 14,000 photographs taken by Anderson.


Top image: Portrait of Anderson, circa 1900 (PH 6958).