Scope and Contents: The Arnold Del Carlo Photograph Collection consists of thousands of photographs and
negatives, which document the transformation of the city of San Jose and the Santa
Clara Valley over a thirty year period. Many of the collection's photos and
negatives chronicle the evolution of the valley in the early 1950s from acres of
apricot, plum, cherry, and pear orchards to sprawling urban landscapes by the end of
the 1970s while others testify to San Jose's economic shift from agriculture to
industrial manufacturing, showing the gradual replacement of agricultural lands with
parcels being divided and developed into housing, industrial, and commercial
areas.
Arnold del Carlo specialized in commercial photography by the beginning of the 1960s;
prominent groups of photographs in this sub-set of the collection include those
taken of institutions such as San Jose State College, the City of San Jose, the
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), and General Motors Corporation
(GMC). One large sub-set of photographs details the construction of IBM Building 025
in South San Jose, with photos of the development taken every month by Del Carlo
from the air as well as from the ground. Hundreds of other photos in the collection
document the impact of land developers and builders in the city of San Jose, showing
the interior and exterior of model homes and business establishments, as well as the
development of neighborhoods and the downtown area of San Jose and Santa Clara.
Other areas Del Carlo specialized in were weddings, studio portraits and fashion
shoots. The photographs in this sub-set of the collection document the celebration
activities of different groups of people in the city of San Jose, show changes in
bridal fashion and women's clothing, and provide glimpses of the interiors of
various churches, as well as public and private buildings where these celebrations
took place.
The most notable sub-set of Del Carlo's commercial work is comprised of the aerial
photographs shot from his Cessna aircraft. Most of the photographs taken prior to
1965 were organized by the coordinates taken from a Regal map of San Jose and
surrounding areas. Negatives of photos taken after 1965 include written
descriptions. Of particular interest in the aerials is a group of photographs taken
between 1958 and 1963, which are paired with photographs of the same areas taken
during the early 1990s, showing the development of the area from agriculture to
industry and commercial endeavors.
A small sub-set of the collection includes photographs of Arnold del Carlo and the
Del Carlo family. Records from Del Carlo's business are also found in this portion
of the collection.
The Del Carlo collection is arranged in three series according to format: Negatives,
Prints, and Papers. These divisions are primarily based on the way the materials are
housed, and are the order in which the collection arrived at the Sourisseau Academy.
None of the materials in the collection were re-arranged.
Arnold Del Carlo Photograph...
Subjects (links to similar collections)
