Municipal Archives

City Officials Portrait Collection, 1931-2023 

Collection 1992-017

Overview

​Repository ​Dallas Municipal Archives
Office of the City Secretary
1500 Marilla Street, 5D South
Dallas, Texas 75201 
​Creator Gittings Studio and departmental offices
​Title City Officials Portrait Collection
​Dates 1931-1923
​Quantity One linear foot 
​Abstract Black and white and color photographic prints of Dallas City councilmembers, mayors, and city managers.  Black and white and color digitized images.
​Identification 1992-017 
​Language ​​Records are in English​


Scope and Contents

Collection consists of an album of black and white and color photographic prints of Dallas city council members, mayors, city managers, and departmental leaders.  Collection also contains born-digital files.

Images between the years 1931 and 1992 were taken by the Gittings Studio.  Paul Gittings, Sr. was born in 1900 and at age 11 took odd jobs to help support his family.  He ended up at the famed Bachrach Studios in Baltimore, taking a job as a plate boy and eventually becoming an esteemed photographer.   In 1928, he moved to Texas and opened Gittings Studios in Dallas and Houston, purchasing the rights for these studios from Bachrach.

The studio developed a style with an attention to detail and a focus on delivering quality and in 1963, Gittings opened a studio within Neiman Marcus.  This location enabled Gittings to expand throughout the south, and the company became the official portrait studio of the Neiman Marcus brand.  Being affiliated with the most prestigious retailer in the nation turned into a clientele that included dignitaries, politicians, executives, and social elites.

During his career, he won many awards including the George Harris Award; Professional Photographers of America; Fellowship, Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain; Fellowship, Photographic Society of America; Fellowship, American Society of Photographers; and First American Licentiate Member, British Institute of Photography.   He also gave back to his profession and was instrumental in establishing the International Photography Hall of Fame.

Gittings passed away in 1988, and in 1998, Greg Lorfing acquired Gittings Studios.  [Source:  Gittings Company history]

Organization

Images are filed in approximate chronological order and include subjects' dates in office, followed by image negative number when available.

Access​

Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from the Dallas Municipal Archives.  All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.  It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization for any images.

Citation

Gittings Studio Portraiture Collection, 1931-2023 (Box <x>, Folder <y>), Dallas Municipal Archives.

Related Material

2003-005 City of Dallas Mayor Portraits, 1894-2001
2003-003 Dallas City Council Portrait, 1963
1992-018 Portraits of Park Board Members, 1905-1939

Index Terms

Dallas -- Texas -- History  
Dallas (Tex.) -- City Council 
Dallas (Tex.) -- City Managers 
Dallas (Tex.) -- Mayors

Container List

Box Item Title, Date
1 1 Councilmember W.H. Painter (1931-1935), DAC1556, #6
  2 Councilmember Joe C. Thompson (1931-1935), DAC1316R, #10R
  3 Mayor Woodall Rodgers (1939-1947), unidentified negative
  4 Councilmember M.M. Straus (1939-1947), NMN5259, #5
  5 Councilmember Ashley Dewitt (1947), DAC1312, #11
  6 Councilmember Wallace H. Savage (1947-1949); (1949-1951), DAC1705, #10
  7 Councilmember and City Manager Roderic B. Thomas (1947-1950); (1953-1955), NMN7105, #13
  8 Councilmember W. H. Pierce (1949-1951), DAC1580, # 5
  9 Councilmember L. H. Rideout (1951-1952), DAC1543, #3
  10 Councilmember Vernon S. Smith (1953-1955), DAC1559), #4
  11 Councilmember W. C. (Dub) Miller (1953-1955), NC20742, #1
  12 Councilmember Robert L. Thornton (1953-1961), DAC1693, #10
  13 Councilmember Tom Unis (1957-1959), DAC1137, #12
  14 Councilmember Joe Geary (1959-1961) no photo
  15 Councilmember Walter H. Cousins (1959-1962), NMN9538, #3
  16 Councilmember Elgin B. Robertson (1959-1963), DG1763, #8
  17 Councilmember Charles S. Sharp (1961-1963), DAC1245, #5
  18 Mayor Earle Cabell (1961-1964), NMN5417, #15
  19 Councilmember George M. Underwood (1961-1965), NMN5401R, #8R
  20 Mayor J. Erik Jonsson [with Margaret Jonsson] (1961-1971), NMN7815, #11
  21 Councilmember Tracy H. Rutherford (1963-1965), DG5708, #11
  22 Councilmember Frank A. Hoke (1965-1969), NMN10853, #1
  23 Councilmember Henry Stuart (1968-1969), NMN6965, #13
  24 Councilmember Doug Fain (1969-1973), NMN11722, #6
  25 Councilmember Garry Weber (1969-1976), NMN10710, #8
  26 Councilmember Fred Zeder (1971-1973), DAC1835, #2
  27 Councilmember Russell Smith (1971-1975), NMN7345, #10
  28 Councilmember Jerry Gilmore (1971-1975), NMN10692, #1
  29 Councilmember Charles H. Storey (1973-1975), NMN10693, #13
  30 Councilmember L. A. Murr (1973-1975), NMN10695, #2
  31 Councilmember William F. Nicol (1975-1979), NMN7406, #10
  32 Councilmember John Leedom (1975-1979), NMN8448, #11
  33 Councilmember Wiliam E. Cothrum (1965-1969), NMN10978, #6
  34 Councilmember Robert Folsom (1976-1977), NMN10800R, #11R
  35 Councilmember Bill Blackburn (1976-1979), NMN11323, #5
  36 Councilmember John A. Walton (1977-1979), NMN11584, #1
  37 Mayor Robert Folsom (1977-1981), NMN11343, #4
  38 Councilmember Don Hicks (1977-1983), NMN11577, #4
  39 Councilmember Sid Stahl (1980-1983), D00807, #3R
  40 Councilmember Joe Haggar (1980-1983), no photo
  41 Councilmember Rolan Tucker (1980-1983), E00744, #88
  42 Councilmember Fred Blair (1980-1984), DPA71073, #6
  43 Councilmember Max Goldblatt (1980-1985), NMN13088, #2
  44 Councilmember and Mayor Wes Wise (1969-1971); (1971-1973), DPA70188, #11
  45 Mayor Jack Evans (1981-1983), E01629, #40
  46 Councilmember and Mayor Annette Strauss (1983-1985); (1987-1991), E01964, #13
  47 Councilmember Jim Richards (1983-1987), DPA71068, #4
  48 Councilmember Dean Vanderbilt (1983-1988), DPA71069, #11
  49 Councilmember Craig Holcomb (1983-1989), DPA71072, #16
  50 Councilmember Jerry Rucker (1983-1989), DPA71071, #13
  51 Councilmember Al Lipscomb (1984-1991); (1995-2000), DCP45519, #2
  52 Councilmember Diane Ragsdale (1984-1991), DCP44797, #10
  53 Councilmember Bill Milkie (1985-1987), DCP46404, #14
  54 Councilmember John Evans (1985-1991), DCP46227, #12
  55 Councilmember Lori Palmer (1985-1991), DCP46237, #12
  56 City Manager Richard Knight (1986-1990), D00536, #9
  57 Councilmember Al Gonzales (1987-1989), D00406, #8
  58 Councilmember Charles Tandy (1987-1991), D00463, # 89
  59 Councilmember Max Wells (1988-1991), D01564, #6
  60 Councilmember Glen Box (1989-1991), D01989, #88
  61 Councilmember Harriet Miers (1989-1991), D02021R, #8R
  62 City Manager Jan Hart (1990-1993), E03902, #21
  63 Mayor Steve Bartlett (1991-1995), E04729, #31
  64 Councilmember Larry Duncan (1991-1999), E04700R, #19R
  65 Councilmember Paul Fielding (1991-1997), E04701R, #4R
  66 Councilmember Domingo Garcia (1991-1995), E04725, #7
  67 Councilmember Donald Hicks (1991-1999), E04690, #6
  68 Councilmember Donna Halstead (1991-1996), E04801, #18
  69 Councilmember Chris Luna (1991-1997), E04689, #12
  70 Councilmember Charlotte Mayes (1991-1999), E04734, #11
  71 Councilmember Mattie Lee Nash (1991-1993), E04766, #4