Guide to the Fermen Layton Pickett Papers circa 1912-1938
Cage 87

Summary Information

Repository
Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
Creator
Pickett, F. L. (Fermen Layton), 1881-1940.
Title
Fermen Layton Pickett Papers
ID
Cage 87
Date [inclusive]
circa 1912-1938
Extent
3 Linear Feet of Shelf Space, 6 boxes, Approximately 3500 items
Language
Collection materials are in English.
Abstract
Fermen Layton Pickett (1881-1940) was a professor of botany at Washington State University from 1914 until his death. He was also a skilled photographer and one of the few in the 1920s who photographed a large number of natural features. The papers consists of Pickett's photographs and his botanical notes. Many of the photographs are of vegetation, both individual specimens and habitats. Others stress the natural features of Washington and Oregon, especially Eastern Washington. Pickett's botanical notes, consist of field and accession notebooks for his personal herbarium.

Preferred Citation

[Item Description] Fermen Layton Pickett papers, circa 1912-1938

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Biography/History

Fermen Layton Pickett (1881-1940) was a professor of botany at Washington State University from 1914 until his death. He came from Indiana, his native state, shortly after receiving his Ph.D. at Indiana University. His major botanical interests were mosses and in plant physiology. He served as Chairman of the Botany Department and as Dean of the Graduate School for many years. Although his colleagues criticized him for his shortcomings as a botanist, his department educated several significant botanical scientists and sponsored many important research projects. His most important achievement may have been securing the herbarium of Wilhelm N. Suksdorf for the University (see Northwest Botanical Manuscripts: An Indexed Register, Pullman, 1976). He was also a skilled photographer and one of the few in the 1920s who photographed a large number of natural features (geological formations, vegetations, rivers, lakes, and mountains).

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Scope and Content

The papers consists of Pickett's photographs and his botanical notes. Many of the photographs are of vegetation, both individual specimens and habitats. Others stress the natural features of Washington and Oregon, especially Eastern Washington. Sequences trace several rivers over hundreds of miles. Others record a number of lakes, coulees and mountains. Pickett's botanical notes, consist of field and accession notebooks for his personal herbarium, now among the collections of the Ownbey Herbarium at Washington State University.

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Arrangement

The papers consists of two series: Pickett's photographs and his botanical notes. The photographs are arranged into two sub-series. The first consists of Pickett's prints, arranged in an alphabetical subject system he devised. The second consists of the copies made from the nitrate negatives, and contains some prints of photographs not included in the first sub-series; these represent materials apparently lost prior to transfer of the photographs to the Library.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections  © 2016

http://www.libraries.wsu.edu/masc/

Terrell Library

P.O. Box 645610

Pullman, WA, 99164-5610 USA

509-335-6691

mascref@wsu.edu

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open and available for research use.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Acquisition Information

The papers of Fermen L. Pickett (1881-1940), consisting of photographs and botanical notebooks, were acquired by the Washington State University Library in two installments. The first, the negatives of Pickett's photographs, came to the Library in 1960. As the negatives were of nitrate film base, a selection was made and copies of about 200 of the approximately 1200 photographs were printed prior to destruction of negatives. In 1975 the WSU Ownbey Herbarium transferred Pickett's print file, along with certain of his botanical notes. As these prints contained most of the photographs lost in the destruction of the nitrate negatives, the photograph collection was largely restored to completeness.

Processing Information

This collection was processed in July 1976 by Lawrence Stark.

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Names and Subjects

Corporate Name(s)

Subject(s) :
  • Washington State University -- Faculty -- Archives.
  • Washington State University -- Buildings -- Photographs.

Family Name(s)

  • Pickett, F. L. (Fermen Layton), 1881-1940 -- Archives

Geographic Name(s)

  • Washington (State), Eastern -- Photographs.
  • Inland Empire (Pacific Northwest) -- Photographs.
  • Grand Coulee Dam (Wash.) -- Photographs.

Subject(s)

  • Botanists ǂz Washington (State) -- Archives.
  • Botany -- Research -- Archives.
  • Angiosperms -- Photographs.
  • Gymnosperms -- Photographs.
  • Washington (State)
  • Science
  • Colleges and Universities
  • Photographs

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Detailed Description of Collection

Series 1: Photographs 

Subseries 1.1: Print File 

box folder

Almota Canyon  2 items

1 1

Animals 

box folder

Domestic (s.a. [see also] Lakes, misc.)  10 items

1 2

Wild  39 items

1 3

Wild  55 items

1 4

Angiosperms 

box folder

Amaryllidacae  3 items

1 5

Araceae  9 items

1 6

Araliaceae  2 items

1 7

Ascelepiadaceae  11 items

1 8

Begoniaceae  2 items

1 9

Betulaceae  3 items

1 10

Cactaceae  15 items

1 11

Campanulaceae  4 items

1 12

Capparidaceae  4 items

1 13

Caprifoliaceae  2 items

1 14

Caryophyllaceae  5 items

1 15

Chenopodiaceae  3 items

1 16

Commulinaceae  2 items

1 17

Compositeae  28 items

1 18

Compositeae  30 items

1 19

Convolvulaceae  4 items

1 20

Cornaceae  5 items

1 21

Crassulaceae  1 items

1 22

Cruciferae  12 items

1 23

Dicotyledones, misc.  12 items

1 24

Dipsaceae  5 items

1 25

Ericaceae  18 items

1 26

Euphoribiaceae  3 items

1 27

Gentainaceae  12 items

1 28

Gramineae  22 items

1 29

Hydrophyllaceae  1 items

1 30

Iridaceae  18 items

1 31

Leguminosae  41 items

1 32

Liliaceae  36 items

1 33

Liliaceae  9 items

1 34

Malvaceae  25 items

1 35

Menthaceae  25 items

1 36

Monocots, misc.  2 items

1 37

Nyctaginaceae  4 items

1 38

Nymphaceae  26 items

1 39

Oleaceae  3 items

1 40

Onagraceae  3 items

1 41

Orchidaceae  29 items

1 42

Orobanchaceae  2 items

1 43

Polemoniaceae  4 items

1 44

Polygonaceae  16 items

1 45

Portulacaceae  2 items

1 46

Primulaceae  2 items

1 47

Ranunculaceae  32 items

1 48

Rosaceae  22 items

1 49

Rosaceae  37 items

1 50

Rutaceae  3 items

1 51

Salicaceae  21 items

1 52

Sapindaceae  5 items

1 53

Sarraceniaceae  1 items

1 54

Saxifragaceae  15 items

1 55

Scrophulariaceae  38 items

1 56

Scrophulariaceae  28 items

1 57

Solonaceae  1 items

1 58

Umbellifererae  3 items

1 59

Ulmaceae  6 items

1 60

Violaceae  2 items

1 61
box folder

Bellingham, Washington  3 items

2 62

Birds  49 items

2 63

Blewett Pass  19 items

2 64

California 

box folder

Pacific Ocean  2 items

2 65

Timber  14 items

2 66
box folder

Charts  2 items

2 67

Chinook Pass (s.a. Mt. Rainer)  36 items

2 68

Churches  2 items

2 69

Cities  12 items

2 70

Clouds (s.a. Chinook Pass, Sunrise/Sunset)  39 items

2 71

Clouds  34 items

2 72

U.S.S. Constitution  5 items

2 73

Copies of Old Drawings and Prints  40 items

2 74

Coulees and Coulee Country-Eastern Washington, near Palouse Falls  18 items

2 75

Coulees and Scab-lands, Eastern Washington  14 items

2 76

Creeks-Pataha  3 items

2 77

Crystals, Para-dischloro-benzene  50 items

2 78

DeSmet Mission, North Idaho  5 items

2 79

Dune Vegetation  21 items

2 80

Ecology (s.a. Dune Vegetation, Prairie, Erosion)  2 items

2 81

Epworth League  6 items

2 82

Epworth Institute (Twanoh Park?)  42 items

2 83

Equisetum  2 items

2 84

Erosion  4 items

2 85

Experiments  3 items

2 86

Ferns  35 items

2 87

Fish  6 items

2 88

Forest 

box folder

Angiosperm Type  19 items

2 89

Angiosperm Type  51 items

2 90

Gymnosperm, Alpine  4 items

2 91

Gymnosperm, East of the Cascades (s.a. Gymnosperms, Grand Ronde)  14 items

2 92

Gymnosperm, Oregon (s.a. Gymnosperms, Grand Ronde)  14 items

2 93

Gymnosperms, Western Washington  28 items

2 94
box folder

Fort Simcoe  1 items

2 95

Frost  2 items

2 96

Fungi  23 items

2 97

Gardens, Ornamental  9 items

2 98

Geological Formations (s.a. Grand Coulee, Coulees, Snake River)  2 items

2 99

Glaciers (s.a. Mountains, Mt. Rainer, Glacier Peak)  1 items

2 100

Grand Coulee 

box folder

General (s.a. Rivers-Columbia-Grand Coulee, Coulees)  26 items

2 101

Dry Falls  13 items

2 102

Steamboat Rock  8 items

2 103

Grand Coulee Dam  39 items

2 104
box folder

Grand Ronde and Neighboring Country  37 items

2 105

Grand Ronde and Neighboring Country (forests)  5 items

2 106

Gymnosperms 

box folder

Pinaceae (s.a. Forests-Gymnosperms, Mt. Rainer, Washington-Yakima Co., Clallam Co., Jefferrson Co., Yakima River)  33 items

2 107

Pinacea (s.a. Forests)  37 items

2 108

Taxaceae  1 items

2 109
box folder

Historical Places (s.a. DeSmet Mission, Oregon)  31 items

3 110

Idaho, Northern (s.a. Lakes, Lewiston, Mountains-Thatuna Hills, Rivers-Clearwater)  47 items

3 111

Idaho (s.a. Forests, Ferns)  16 items

3 112

Indiana (s.a. Erosion, Ferns, Forests)  11 items

3 113

Indians  12 items

3 114

Irritability  2 items

3 115

Kansas City  7 items

3 116

Lakes 

box folder

Alta Lake  10 items

3 117

Bonnie Lake  7 items

3 118

Crater Lake  1 items

3 119

Chelan Lake  31 items

3 120

Kahlotus Lake  16 items

3 121

Miscellaneous  48 items

3 122

Moses Lake (both modern and geologic; s.a. Douglas Co., Franklin Co.)  35 items

3 123

Rock Lake  23 items

3 124
box folder

Leaves  3 items

3 125

Lewiston and Highway Grade  6 items

3 126

Lumbering, destructive  1 items

3 127

Microscopes  12 items

3 128

Mississippi (s.a. Animals)  1 items

3 129

Monuments  10 items

3 130

Mosses  69 items

3 131

Mountains 

box folder

Adams (s.a. Washington-Yakima Co.)  9 items

3 132

Baker  3 items

3 133

Glacier Peak (s.a. Washington-Snohomish Co.)  53 items

3 134

Kamiak Butte  31 items

3 135

Rainier, Misc.  10 items

3 136

Rainier, from Chinook Pass-the Peak  14 items

3 137

Rainier, from Chinook Pass-Winter  1 items

3 138

Rainier, from Chinook Pass-General  22 items

3 139

Rainier, from Yakima Park and Sunrise Lodge  12 items

3 140

Steptoe Butte  10 items

3 141

Thatuna Hills  5 items

3 142
box folder

Naches Valley  1 items

3 143

North Dakota  1 items

3 144

Oregon (s.a. Lakes-Crater, Forests-gymnosperm, Ferns, Forest-Angiosperm, Grand Ronde)  39 items

3 145

Palebotany  3 items

3 146

Palouse Country-Hills (s.a. Washington-Whitman County)  1 items

3 147

People-Miscellaneous  7 items

3 148

Photomicrographs 

box folder

General  3 items

3 149

Algae  25 items

3 150

Ferns  18 items

3 151

Fungi  6 items

3 152

Leaves  42 items

3 153

Misc.  5 items

3 154

Mitosis  1 items

3 155

Mosses  1 items

3 156

Parasites  2 items

3 157

Roots  16 items

3 158

Stems-dicots  32 items

3 159

Stems-gymnosperms  11 items

3 160

Stems-monocots  8 items

3 161

Stems-pteridophytes  16 items

3 162
box folder

Portraits  1 items

3 163

Prairies  5 items

4 164

Pullman, Washington  1 items

4 165

Reforestation  2 items

4 166

Rivers 

box folder

General  1 items

4 167

Clearwater  26 items

4 168

Columbia, General  34 items

4 169

Columbia, Kettle Falls  4 items

4 170

Columbia, Grand Coulee  2 items

4 171

Columbia, Yakima  3 items

4 172

Columbia, Wallula  16 items

4 173

Columbia, Bingen  30 items

4 174

Columbia, Columbia River Highway  4 items

4 175

Palouse, Above Colfax  1 items

4 176

Palouse, Below Colfax  9 items

4 177

Palouse, Middle and Upper Falls  9 items

4 178

Palouse, Big Falls  18 items

4 179

Palouse, Below Big Falls  5 items

4 180

Snake, Above Lewiston  66 items

4 181

Snake, Below Lewiston  14 items

4 182

Snake, Granite Point Area  27 items

4 183

Snake, Geological Formations  12 items

4 184

Snake, Near Highway with Bridge  6 items

4 185

Snake, Near Mouth  15 items

4 186

Yakima   items

4 187
box folder

Seedlings  22 items

4 188

Seeds  3 items

4 189

Snow  66 items

4 190

State College of Washington 

box folder

Botanical Staff  8 items

4 191

Buildings  19 items

4 192

Campus Views  14 items

4 193

Class Activities  15 items

4 194

Silver Lake  3 items

4 195
box folder

Stems, Modified  23 items

4 196

South Dakota  16 items

4 197

Sunrise/Sunset (s.a. Clouds)  3 items

4 198

Teratology, angiosperms  53 items

4 199

Trees  20 items

4 200

Vegetative Propagation  2 items

4 201

Washington 

box folder

Eastern-Misc.  8 items

4 202

Asotin County  1 items

4 203

Clallam County (s.a. Monuments)  16 items

4 204

Columbia County (s.a. Creeks, Forests-gymnosperm)  6 items

4 205

Douglas County (s.a. Moses Lake, Grand Coulee, Coulees)  7 items

4 206

Ferry County (s.a. Forest-angiosperm, Lakes)  14 items

4 207

Franklin County (s.a. Dune vegetation)  1 items

4 208

Garfield County  1 items

4 209

Grant County  1 items

4 210

King County (s.a. Erosion)  1 items

4 211

Kitsap County (s.a. Ferns, Forest-angiosperm)  4 items

4 212

Kittitas County  1 items

4 213

Klickitat County (s.a. Dune vegetation, Ferns, Gardens)  2 items

4 214

Pend Oreille County (s.a. Forest-angiosperm, Forest-gymnosperm)  1 items

4 215

Skagit County  2 items

4 216

Snohomish County (s.a. Forest-alpine, Forest-gymnosperm, Mountains-Glacier Peak)  16 items

4 217

Spokane County  3 items

4 218

Stevens County  9 items

4 219

Walla Walla County (s.a. Dune vegetation, Forest-angiosperm, Monuments)  10 items

4 220

Whitman County, Water ways  13 items

4 221

Whitman County, Palouse Hills  20 items

4 222

Whitman County, Breaks of the Snake  4 items

4 223

Yakima County (s.a. Forest-angiosperm, Fort Simcoe, Gardens, Mountains-Adams, Naches Valley)  5 items

4 224
box folder

Waves  8 items

4 225

Weeds  8 items

4 226

Winter  4 items

4 227

Yakima Park  2 items

4 228

Young Men's Christian Association  2 items

4 229

Zea  1 items

4 230

Strays and Unidentified  8 items

4 231

Subseries 1.2: Selections from the negatives, stressing photographs of the campus of Washington State University  approx. 200 items

box folder

WSU: new women's dormitory, 1937 May 

5 232

Pullman: elevator fire, 1921 

5 233

WSU: President's mansion, 1921 

5 234

WSU: campus through Maiden Lane arch, 1921 April 

5 235

WSU: YMCA, 1921 

5 236

Pullman: concrete bridge, 1921 

5 237

WSU: women's gymnasium under construction, 1937 May 

5 238

WSU: Silver Lake, 1915-1916 

5 239

WSU: Stimson Hall, 1935 May 

5 240

Barker family, 1915 

5 241

WSU: new science building, 1935 May 

5 242

WSU: icicles on old gymnasium, 1929 January 

5 243

WSU-Oregon football game, 1921 

5 244

WSU: "West along the walk from Wilson Hall," 1927 December 

5 245

WSU: McCroskey Hall, Music Hall, Morrill Hall; 1923 

5 246

WSU: Science Hall from Ferry Hall, 1927 

5 247

Harvesting, 1921 August 

5 248

WSU: "Looking across the Lake," 1923 December 

5 249

WSU: The Path and "The Rustic Bridge," 1923 

5 250

WSU: "The Pond," 1923 June 

5 251

WSU: gymnasium, 1921 

5 252

WSU: "Athletics" (high school track and field), 1915 

5 253

WSU: Community Hall, 1922 January 

5 254

WSU: new science building, 1936 

5 255

Pullman: "Birches," 1923 December 

5 256

Pasco-Kennewick bridge, 1922 August 

5 257

WSU: McCroskey Hall, 1922 January 

5 258

WSU from the southwest, 1923 

5 259

WSU: "The Bell," 1917 

5 260

WSU: Plant History laboratory scene, 1921 

5 261

WSU: new men's dormitory, 1923 June 

5 262

View of Pullman from WSU, 1923 

5 263

WSU: Mechanical Arts building, 1924 

5 264

Unidentified Washington landscapes, undated 

5 265

Miscellaneous unidentified WSU photographs: laboratory, athletics, WSU buildings and surroundings, male student in military uniform; undated 

5 266

WSU delegation to Seabeck, 1918 

5 267

WSU: Maiden Lane arch, undated 

5 268

Pullman views, 1933 January 

5 269

Views of WSU, undated 

5 270

WSU: Campus Day, 1917 May 10 

5 271

WSU: cyclone damage, 1925 

5 272

WSU: E.O. Holland's Armistice Day speech, 1920 November 11 

5 273

WSU: "Trees," undated 

WSU: Bryan Hall, 1921 and 1923 

5 274

WSU: "Live Question Class," 1917 and 1921 

5 275

WSU: buildings, 1939. Includes women's gymnasium, Van Doren Hall, men's gymnasium, Ferry Hall, Administration Building, new dormitory, Old Science 

5 276

WSU-Idaho football game, 1921 October 22 

5 277

Pullman: M. E. (Methodist) Church, 1924 January 

5 278

WSU: "Open House Demonstration: 'Flesh-Eating Horse,'" 1930 

5 279

Juliaetta Grade: view of Potlatch Creek Valley, 1933 

5 280

Rosalia: harvesting, 1921 

5 281

WSU: ROTC inspection, 1918 

5 282

WSU: Taxonomy class (students doing fieldwork near campus), undated 

5 0

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Series 2: Botanical Notes 

box folder

Moss descriptions  approx. 50 items

6 283

Moss accessions, specimen numbers 1-855, notebook  1 items

6 284

Moss accessions, specimen numbers 1-164, notebook  1 items

6 285

Moss accessions, specimen numbers 165-405, notebook  approx. 140 items

6 286

Lichen accessions, specimen numbers 1-114, notebook  1 items

6 287

Vascular Plants, specimen numbers 1-1100, notebook  1 items

6 288

Vascular Plants, specimen numbers 1100-1699, notebook  1 items

6 289

Moss and Lichen Lists, notecards and loose papers, Includes some correspondence which includes lists  approx. 65 items

6 290

Moss notecards  approx. 500+ items

7

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