Ralph R. Doubleday Rodeo Photographs
Creator: Ralph R. Doubleday
Dates: c1910-1955
Quantity: 12 feet 6 inches
Accession: 1979.026
Abstract
This collection contains 4,003 photographs taken by rodeo photographer Ralph R. Doubleday.
Biography
Ralph Russell Doubleday was a prominent rodeo photographer from 1910-1952. He was born on July 4, 1881, in Jackson County, Iowa, and after his family moved to Sycamore, Illinois, in 1900, he became interested in photographing local events. In August 1910, he traveled to the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and photographed his first rodeo. He captured Gus Nylen being thrown from bucking horse “Teddy Roosevelt,” and that image is considered to be the first shot of a man being thrown from a horse at a rodeo. Due to the success of selling prints and postcards of his photographs, Doubleday decided to make a career from rodeo photography. He shot his last event in 1952, and died on June 30, 1958.
In recognition of Doubleday’s photographic accomplishments and his promotional and documentary activities with regard to the sport of rodeo, the Rodeo Historical Society inducted him into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1988.
Scope & Content Note
The Ralph R. Doubleday Rodeo Photographs consist of 4,003 negatives (2,245 safety film negatives, 1,470 nitrate negatives, and 288 glass plate negatives). The Photographs document 40 years of rodeo history and the development of the sport into a business. Personalities, events, and venues are represented in Doubleday’s photographs.
The Photographs was acquired without a log book, journal, or index. Many negatives have captions written on them by Doubleday that identifies people, places, and dates.
The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a grant to the National Cowboy Museum that supported a one-year project to preserve, rehouse, digitize, and provide increased access to the Photographs. Through the grant project, the original negatives were conserved and housed in freezer kits for long-term storage. Preservation interpositives and copy negatives were created so that the Photographs would maintain accessibility.
A database has been created to make the Photographs searchable by location and it can be viewed here. Statistics about the locations can be found here. The Photographs can also be viewed on the Image Database.
Subject Terms
Personal Names:
Adams, Minnie
Autry, Gene, 1907-1998
Brady, Buff, Jr., 1918-
Compton, Cy, 1875-1944
Creed, Gene Krieg, 1909-1993
Cremer, Leo J., 1891 or 2-1953
Curtis, Eddie, 1908-1965
Doubleday, Ralph R. (Ralph Russell), 1881-1958
Eskew, Jim, Col., 1888-1965
Eskew, Junior, 1918-1977
Francis, Mamie
Gist, Pinky
Greenough, Alice, 1902-1995
Greenough, Margie, 1908-
Greenough, Turk, 1905-1995
Hafley, California Frank, 1871-1940
Hastings, Fox, 1882-1948
Huskey, Lynn
Keene, Billy
Kirnan, Bea
Krieg, Vaughn, 1904-1976
Lucas, Tad Barnes, 1902-1990
Moe, Milt, d. 1969
Montana, Montie, 1910-1998
Nesbitt, Jimmy, 1906-1943
Nesbitt, Pauline, 1907-1996
Parks, Mary Elizabeth, 1910-1997
Penrose, Spencer, 1865-1939
Rand, Sally, 1904-1979
Randolph, Florence Hughes Fenton, 1898-1971
Reger, Monte H.
Richards, Lucyle Garmes, 1909-
Ricker, Shorty, 1901-
Roach, Ruth Scantlin, 1896-1986
Schwartz, Vic, 1914-
Sisty, Alice
Strauss, Earl
Strickland, Mabel DeLong, 1897-1976
Wills, Johnnie Lee, 1912-1984
Woods, Opal
Corporate Names:
California Frank’s Rodeo
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Cody Stampede
Colorado State Fair
Doubleday-Foster Photo Co., Inc.
Florida Cow Captial Round-Up
Jackson Hole Frontier Days
Marias County Fair & Rodeo
Mid-South Fair
Midland Empire Fair & Rodeo
Oklahoma Prison Rodeo
Soldier Field
Swift’s Jewel Cowboys
Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun-Dedication, 1937
Wolf Point Stampede
Subject Headings:
Automobiles
Bareback riding
Bull riding
Calf roping
Chutes
Cowboys-1910-1950
Cowgirls-1910-1950
Grand entries
Grandstands
Horses
Indians of North America
Rodeos-1910-1950
Rodeos-History-1910-1950
Rodeos-United States-History
Rodeos-West(U.S.)
Rodeos-Alabama-Alexander City, Mobile
Rodeos-Arizona-Phoenix, Tucson, Whiteriver, Wickenburg
Rodeos-Arkansas-Fort Smith, Harrison, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Warren
Rodeos-California-Brawley, Glendale
Rodeos-Colorado-Colorado Springs, Gunnison, Pueblo, Rocky Ford, Trinidad
Rodeos-Florida-Arcadia, Bradenton, Dade City, Kissimmee, Largo, Miami Beach, Pensacola, Sarasota, Seminole, Tampa, Trenton, Wauchula, West Palm Beach
Rodeos-Georgia-Atlanta
Rodeos-Idaho-Idaho Falls, Lewiston, Weiser
Rodeos-Illinois-Albion, Aurora, Carmi, Chicago, Mt. Carmel
Rodeos-Iowa-Anamosa, Cedar Rapids, Donnellson, Dorchester, Rock Rapids, Sidney, Spencer
Rodeos-Kansas-Abilene, Dodge City, Fort Riley, Garden City, Hutchinson, Junction City, Parsons, Strong City, Wichita
Rodeos-Louisiana-Shreveport
Rodeos-Minnesota-Fort Snelling, Minneapolis
Rodeos-Mississippi-Collins
Rodeos-Missouri-Cedar City, Kirksville, Sedalia, Springfield, St. Louis
Rodeos-Montana-Ashland, Billings, Bozeman, Brockton, Butte, Forsyth, Glendive, Great Falls, Livingston, Miles City, Shelby, Wolf Point
Rodeos-Nebraska-Alliance, Burwell, Fullerton, Gordon, Grand Island, Hastings, North Platte, Ogallala, Omaha
Rodeos-New Jersey-Atlantic City, Olympic Park
Rodeos-New Mexico-Carlsbad, Tucumcari
Rodeos-New York-New York, Waverly
Rodeos-North Dakota-Mandan, Medora, Minot
Rodeos-Ohio-Cleveland
Rodeos-Oklahoma-Ada, Ardmore, Bliss, Chickasha, Comanche, Duncan, El Reno, Fort Towson, Guthrie, McAlester, Muskogee, Okemah, Oklahoma City, Okmulgee, Pawhuska, Sayre, Shawnee, Tulsa, Vinita, Wewoka
Rodeos-Oregon-Elgin, Junction City, Pendleton
Rodeos-Pennsylvania-Philadelphia, Willow Grove
Rodeos-South Dakota-Belle Fourche, Deadwood, Interior, Madison, Winner, Yankton
Rodeos-Tennessee-La Follette, Memphis
Rodeos-Texas-Aledo, Canadian, Dalhart, Del Rio, Dublin, El Paso, Follett, Fort Stockton, Fort Worth, Harlingen, Houston, Lee, Martin, Pampa, Pecos, San Angelo, San Antonio, Trenton, Val Verde, Wichita Falls
Rodeos-Utah-Salt Lake City
Rodeos-Washington-Colfax, Ellensburg, Ritzville, Sumas, Walla Walla
Rodeos-Wyoming-Buffalo, Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Douglas, Jackson Hole, Lusk, Newcastle, Rawlins, Rock Springs, Sheridan
Rodeo clowns
Roman riding
Saddle bronc riding
Spectators
Steer riding
Steer wrestling
Tipis
Trick riding
Trick roping
Wrecks(Rodeos)
Processing Information
The Ralph R. Doubleday Rodeo Photographs was purchased by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1979 from Albert Conover.
The Photographs were originally digitized in the early 2000s, and they are currently being redigitized at a higher resolution. Please contact the Dickinson Research Center at askarchives@nationalcowboymuseum.org for inquiries about publishing rights and/or obtaining copies for personal study.
Copyright
The Ralph R. Doubleday Rodeo Photographs is the property of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Materials, even if owned by the NCWHM, may be protected under third party copyright. It is the patron’s responsibility to research and secure any such additional copyright and pay any required fees or royalties. It is not the intention of the NCWHM to impede upon any third party rights, and the NCWHM cannot be held responsible if the patron is involved in legal action due to violation of third party copyright claims.
Copyright
The Ralph R. Doubleday Rodeo Photographs has no restrictions and is available for research. If you are interested in researching the materials, please contact the Dickinson Research Center to make an appointment.
Preferred Citation
Ralph R. Doubleday Rodeo Photographs, Box ##, Folder ##, Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Container List
All Series
The Photographs can be searched by location of the original image using this database or through the Image Database.
| Box | Description | ||||
| 1 | 79.026.0001.-0100 | ||||
| 2 | 79.026.0101-0220 | ||||
| 3 | 79.026.0221-0319 | ||||
| 4 | 79.026.0320-0404 | ||||
| 5 | 79.026.0405-0511 | ||||
| 6 | 79.026.0512-0640 | ||||
| 7 | 79.026.0641-0742 | ||||
| 8 | 79.026.0743-0859 | ||||
| 9 | 79.026.0860-0976 | ||||
| 10 | 79.026.0977-1080 | ||||
| 11 | 79.026.1081-1211 | ||||
| 12 | 79.026.1212-1347 | ||||
| 13 | 79.026.1348-1466 | ||||
| 14 | 79.026.1467-1591 | ||||
| 15 | 79.026.1592-1711 | ||||
| 16 | 79.026.1712-1844 | ||||
| 17 | 79.026.1845-1972 | ||||
| 18 | 79.026.1973-2100 | ||||
| 19 | 79.026.2101-2232 | ||||
| 20 | 79.026.2233-2361 | ||||
| 21 | 79.026.2362-2462 | ||||
| 22 | 79.026.2463-2604 | ||||
| 23 | 79.026.2605-2761 | ||||
| 24 | 79.026.2752-2897 | ||||
| 25 | 79.026.2898-3050 | ||||
| 26 | 79.026.3051-3197 | ||||
| 27 | 79.026.3198-3350 | ||||
| 28 | 79.026.3351-3490 | ||||
| 29 | 79.026.3491-3850 | ||||
| 30 | 79.026.3851-4003 | ||||
