PAUL HUTCHINSON COLLECTION

The 337 glass negative images of the Paul Hutchinson Collection capture the essence of the Fresno County town of Fowler circa 1914. The photographs document the people, businesses, homes and street scenes of this farming community. Of particular note are the images showing the African American and Japanese communities. As Russell C. Fey, a Fresno professor who studied the photos and wrote an analysis of the collection, stated: “This collection reflects the nature of that community as few known photographers have done in any community in the San Joaquin Valley.”

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It was the dedicated efforts of two women’s organizations that preserved the glass plates and subsequently brought this collection to life for research and exhibit use. The plates were given to the Fowler Improvement Association by Paul Hutchinson, and the Association donated these images to the Historical Society Archives in 1970. In 1981 the Society’s La Paloma Guild funded archival housing, production of 5x7 film negatives from the glass negative plates, and a research print of each image.

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The majority of the photographs in this collection are unidentified. If you have any information on the photos shown here please contact us at archives@valleyhistory.org.