Jennings, Harry, 1915-
Harry Jennings Photograph Collection, 1950s-1970s

54 photographic prints (Photo 2078 & Folio 78)
8,429 film negatives ; 35mm
666 film negatives ; 120mm

Biography

H. L. (Harry) Jennings was born at Cassopolis, Michigan on December 16, 1915, the son of E. D. and Marie (Avery) Jennings. After graduating from high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan he attended the Hager's Conservatory of Music. He then worked as a musician in Michigan, Minnesota and North Dakota, joining WDAY radio in 1944 as a staff musician. There he was a member of the "Co-op Shoppers" country combo until they went off the air in 1966. With the beginning of WDAY television he became their chief photographer in 1953. He joined the Fargo Forum newspaper staff five years later as a photographer where he worked until his retirement in 1976. His photography won various area and regional awards including competitions in the National Press Photographers Association.

Mr. Jennings married C. M. (Connie) Ryen in 1951. She is the daughter of Helmer and Nora Ryen of Fargo. They had one son, Wayne L. Jennings. Presently Mr. Jennings lives in Texas.

Scope and Content

The Harry Jennings Photograph Collection consists of approximately 9,095 negatives and fifty-four photographic enlargements. No reference prints have been made from the negatives. Rather, an index was compiled by the archives staff based upon Mr. Jennings' own indices and visual inspection of the negatives. It should be noted that most but not all the negatives are indexed. The collection spans from the mid-1960s to about 1975 with only a few items dated earlier.

The images consist primarily of social scenes, nature, personages, and events that were taken for potential publication in Fargo's The Forum newspaper. Among the more well-known persons represented are Mark Andrews, Jack Benny, William Guy, Robert Kennedy, William Langer, Arthur Link, Richard Nixon, Olav, King of Norway, and Bobby Vee. Some of the largest subject headings include accidents, automobiles, barns, Bonanzaville USA, children, farming, Forum Publishing Company, NDSU, railroads, weather and winter scenes. The negative index and list of prints provide the researcher with all known information for each item. Dates are provided, if given on Mr. Jennings' original index.

The Prints Series (Folio 78) consists of fifty-one enlarged, mounted photographic prints (16 x 20 inch) and three 11 x 14 inch un-mounted prints. These images reflect at least some of the best of Mr. Jennings' work. Most, if not all, were entered into photography contests, some of which were award winners. The subject content of the prints is wide-ranging from portraits of the well-known, to winter scenes and local events. The print titles, as found in the series listing, were assigned by Mr. Jennings. In addition a brief description, date and if an award winner are also included in the series listing.

The Negatives Series consists of 35mm black and white negatives taken by Mr. Jennings and a smaller amount of 120mm black and white negatives. Within the 120mm negatives are included a very small number of color negatives. The negatives came with handwritten identification log sheets. All the data from the log sheets has been included in the negative index. The negatives are organized in the same order as found on the original log sheets. Each section (H-1 through H-7) follows the sections developed by Mr. Jennings, although the archives staff created the 'H' numbers. The second series of letters and numbers in the index represent lettered pages (A-D) as found in Jennings' logs, followed by the line number on which the actual identifying information and dates were written. For specific subjects consult the negative index.