Laurie Solomon Photographs

Overview

Scope and Contents

Subject Terms

Administrative Information

Detailed Description

Music Photographs

Non-Music Photographs & Portraits

Digital Data



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Finding Aid for Laurie Solomon Photographs, 1930-2018 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Daniel Meyer, JinKyung Lee, Carol Berthold

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Collection Overview

Title: Laurie Solomon Photographs, 1930-2018Add to your cart.

ID: 26/20/217

Extent: 1.15 cubic feet

Arrangement: Organized into two series. Series 1: music photographs, photographs of jazz performances taken at Nature's Table and photographs of local rock bands and performances. Series 2: non-music photographs, portraits, commercial photography, travel photographs, photographs of University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, family photographs, and community photographs from a News-Gazette series.

Date Acquired: 03/15/2019

Subjects: Blues-rock music, Jazz, Local History, News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Photographs, Photography, Popular Music--Illinois--Urbana-Champaign, Restaurants, Rock Music

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of photographs and digital files taken by Laurie Solomon. Most pictures were taken during his time as the night manager at the Nature's Table restaurant. Photographs also include work from his portrait studio and work done as a commercial photographer, as well as vacation photographs, and photographs of family and friends. The digital files are videos and pictures (.jpeg, .tiff).

Collection Historical Note

Laurie Solomon was born in 1942 in Wilmington, Delaware. Solomon graduated from the University of Delaware in 1964 with two undergraduate degrees in political science and sociology. After matriculating into the master's degree program in political science at the University of Illinois, he obtained ABD status on a PhD in political science in 1968. Although he never completed his dissertation, he was formally awarded his master's degree in 1976. Solomon took a variety of jobs in the early 1970s unrelated to his degree areas. It was through this exploration into other career options that he became fascinated with photographic technology and the chemical process of developing photographs. Solomon acted as a freelance photographer until 1984 when he opened his first studio. Although he was never formally trained as a photographer and never worked for a professional studio other than his own, Solomon cites Ed Dessen of Illini Studios, William Morrow of Gliessman Studios, and both Jerry Thompson and Lou McClellan of Thompson-McClellan Studios as influences to his success.

Around 1982, Solomon also became the night manager for Nature's Table. It was here that he began to use his skills as a photographer to capture some of the musical performances that were occurring at the Restaurant. Solomon has maintained an active interest in filming Jazz and Rock musicians throughout his career as a photographer and has shot photographs of such musicians and ensembles as: Shirley Blankenship, The John Campbell Trio, Ron Dewar, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, the Heartland Jazz Orchestra, Jeff Hegelson, Donnie Heitler, Dorothy Martirano, The New Orleans Jazz Machine, Morgan Powell, Peter "Madcat" Ruth, Ray Sasaki, Guido Sinclair, and Surreal Deal. In addition to his interest in filming musical performances, Solomon has also created photographic artworks, landscapes, and portraits. In the 1990s, he began receiving commercial, municipal, and private photography commissions from around the Champaign metropolitan area. As a result of local film distributors closing in the early 2000s, Solomon adopted methods of shooting digital photographs but has continued to shoot photographs in traditional ways as well.

Subject/Index Terms

Blues-rock music
Jazz
Local History
News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana
Photographs
Photography
Popular Music--Illinois--Urbana-Champaign
Restaurants
Rock Music

Administrative Information

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Acquisition Source: Laurie Solomon

Acquisition Method: Gift


Box and Folder Listing


Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Music Photographs, 1983-1985],
[Series 2: Non-Music Photographs & Portraits, 1974-2002],
[Series 3: Digital Data, 1985-2018],
[All]

Series 2: Non-Music Photographs & Portraits, 1974-2002Add to your cart.
Photographs of people, animals, scenic, commercial.work, artistic photos. Photos arranged by subject and chronologically where possible.
Box 2Add to your cart.
Folder 3: Portraits: Family & Friends, 1974-1976Add to your cart.
Most photographs are unidentified. Identified photos: "Sliide #40, Newark, DE, 1974"; "Slide #33, Sherri Cavan, San Francisco, CA, 1976."
Folder 4: Nature's Table: Owner & Her Daughter, 1982Add to your cart.
Most portraits unidentified. Identified portrait: "Seredey Maiser, Champaign, IL, Dec., 1982, Slide #57."
Folder 5: Studio Photos: Adults, Wedding, 1986Add to your cart.
Unidentified photos.
Folder 6: Studio Photos: Children, 1986Add to your cart.
Unidentified photographs and portraits of children.
Folder 7: Commissioned Photos: Models & Headshots, 1986Add to your cart.
Unidentified photographs.
Box 3Add to your cart.
Folder 1: News-Gazette: 7 Days in Champaign Series, May, 1990Add to your cart.
Photographs of various scenes in Champaign from May 7 through May 13, 1990. Many photos are identified by location, date and time of day or night.
Folder 2: Commissioned by Democratic Party, undatedAdd to your cart.
Two unidentified photographs. One photograph: Rosalynn Carter, Joseph Biden.
Folder 3: Commissioned by Individual, undatedAdd to your cart.
Photos of unidentified individual in different poses.
Folder 4: Commissioned Photos: Commercial Interiors, undatedAdd to your cart.
Interior photos of unidentified residential, commercial and church interiors.
Folder 5: Travel Photos, 1974-1976Add to your cart.
Scenic photos, many unidentified. Identified photos: "Slide #19, San Francsco Bay, CA, 1975"; "Slide #10, Boca Raton Country Club, Boca Raton, FL, 1975"; "Slide #27, Palm Beach, FL, 1976"; "Slide #9, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, (2 copies, different colored mattes),1976"; "Slide #4, Montego Bay, Jamaica, 1974."
Folder 6: Travel Photos: Houses, Buildings, 1985Add to your cart.
Many unidentified photos. Identified photos: "Farm Yard I," 1985.
Folder 7: Champaign, undatedAdd to your cart.
Photographs of rural Champaign area.
Box 4Add to your cart.
Folder 1: Animals & Birds, 1976Add to your cart.
Unidentified photos.
Folder 2: Flowers & Plants, 1982Add to your cart.
Unidentified photos.
Folder 3: Campus Photos, 1985Add to your cart.
Unidentified photos.
Folder 4: Commercial Photography, 1989-1997Add to your cart.
Commercial brochures, ads.
Folder 5: Amateur Photos, undatedAdd to your cart.
Mostly nature photos.
Folder 6: Miscellaneous Photographs, 1978Add to your cart.
Unidentified photos of various subjects. Titled photo: "Slide #35, Wilm[ington], DE, 1978."
Box 5Add to your cart.
Folder 1: Artwork (1 of 2), 2002Add to your cart.
Wedding invitation.
Folder 2: Artwork (2 of 2), 2002Add to your cart.
Wedding invitation.
Folder 3: Miscellaneous Photographs, undatedAdd to your cart.
Unidentified photographs.

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Music Photographs, 1983-1985],
[Series 2: Non-Music Photographs & Portraits, 1974-2002],
[Series 3: Digital Data, 1985-2018],
[All]

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