Slides of Mildred T. Axtell

Collection

Identifier: WMTA

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Slides of Mildred T. Axtell consists of slides dated 1946 to 1980, with the bulk falling from 1946 to 1967. Images depict the United States and international locations, including California, Colorado, Utah, Mexico, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Subject matter includes landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, churches, beaches, markets, architecture, aerials, city streets, rivers, canals, and vegetation. Most slides are not labeled. Most dates come from the processing stamp on the slide mount. Slides with specific identification include the Rose Parade, San Gabriel Mission, and the Garden of Allah in California; rock formations in Arches National Monument and Zion National Park in Utah; and Denver City Park, Cheesman Park, Washington Park, and Fitzsimmons Hospital in Colorado.

Dates

Creation: 1946-1980
Creation: Majority of material found within 1946-1967

Creator

Axtell, Mildred T. (Person)

Restrictions on Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection. However, the collection is stored off-site, so advance notice is required.

Restrictions on Use

Not all of the material in the collection is in the public domain. Researchers are responsible for addressing copyright issues.

Biography

In her travels around the globe, Mildred Thomas Axtell photographed various water locations, including the coasts of California, Mexico, and Buenos Aires. Her most common subjects were rural locales, locals in Mexican cities, and cityscapes in various U.S. states.

Axtell was born in Colorado on March 4, 1916, to Harry and Clara Thomas. She was raised in the Cherry Creek area and became a history teacher. Later, she worked for the Shwayder Brothers Packing Company (which became Samsonite) and married Willard G. Axtell, an inventor and holder of multiple patents for suitcase design. The Axtells travelled frequently for business and pleasure and stayed extensively in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where Willard owned property and built houses. Following Willard's unexpected death in 1968, Mildred returned to Colorado. She died in October 2001.

Extent

1 linear foot (3 photo boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

In her travels around the globe, Mildred Thomas Axtell (1916-2001) photographed various water locations, including the coasts of California, Mexico, and Buenos Aires. This collection includes slides of Denver city parks, rock formations in Arches National Monument and Zion National Park in Utah, and Mexico and Buenos Aires landscapes and cityscapes, as well as family portraits. There are 1,086 slides in the collection.

Arrangement

The Slides of Mildred T. Axtell are arranged into series alphabetically by location, followed by a series dedicated to people and an unidentified location series.

The collection consists of 5 series in 3 boxes:

Series 1: Buenos Aires, 1967 and undated

Series 2: Mexico, 1960, 1964 and undated

Series 3: United States, 1946-1954, 1980 and undated

Series 4: People, 1948-1952 and undated

Series 5: Unidentified locations, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1980 and undated

Acquisition

The Slides of Mildred T. Axtell was acquired by the CSU Water Resources Archive in October 2003 from Rob Buirgy, the coordinator of the Big Thompson Watershed Forum and his sister, Annette Rossilli, the manager of Mildred's estate.

Processing

Slides were removed from plastic slide containers, cardboard slide boxes, a wooden box, and a tin slide container. The slides were rehoused in archival slide sleeves and acid-free three-ring boxes. Locations for the slides were determined by the information provided on the slide boxes. Similar dates and subject matter among the various slide containers were also used to determine the location of slides. Duplicate slides, purchased slides, and slides that were indeterminable due to bad exposure were discarded. A representative selection of slides was chosen to save from the Buenos Aires and unidentified location slides and the rest were discarded.