The collection includes mostly black and white photographs and negatives, circa 1910-1990, in various sizes hosued in envelopes, no folders. Several generations of local families are documented in the collection through family portraits, first communion, wedding, high school graduation, identification, and armed service photographs. Other topics include sports teams, marriage licenses, service discharge certificates, hunting and fishing, buildings, art, vehicles, and a burn victim, among others. There may be more than one view of an image, Ex. - 2, and more than one sleeve or envelope of images on a topic or a person, Ex. (2 envelopes). There are eight folders of Francisco family photographs and negatives in the back of Box 9. A folder of biographical information on the Franciscos and mostly World War II postcards is in the front of Box 1. Oversized photographs (4) are also of the Francisco family. Some of the photographs are copies of images from the turn of the 19th/20th century.
The collection is organized as it was created, with negatives and photographs separated by media, then by size, and then either alphabetically by customers’ surname or by date as follows: Box 1- 5 x 7 inch Negatives, A-G; Box 2- 5 x 7 inch Negatives, H-R; Box 3- 5 x 7 inch Negatives, S-Z; Box 4- 3.5x 4.5 inch Negatives, A-Gr; Box 5- 3.5x 4.5 inch Negatives, Gr-R; Box 6- 3.5x4.5 inch Negatives, S-Z; Miscellaneous Smaller Photos: 5.5 x 7.25 inches Photographs and Negatives; Box 7- 8 x 10 inch Negatives; Box 8- 8 x 10 inch Photographs, 1961-1970; 5.5 x 6 inch Photographs, 1958-1965; Box 9- 5.5 x 6 inch Photographs, 1965-1969; 3.5 x 4 inch and Smaller Sized Photographs and Negatives, 1917-1958; Francisco Family Photographs, 1927-1964 and undated; Negatives, undated; Oversized folder Francisco Family (4 Oversized prints). Any additional notes or abbreviations are taken from the original wrappers and were made by the photographers.
Biography:
The Francisco Photography Studio was operated on West Broadway in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, by a father and son team, Harry H. and Harrison Francisco, for 68 years.
Harry H. “Poddy” Francisco was born on August 10, 1891 in Mount Pleasant, to Charles and Mabel Francisco. In 1910, he married Lillian Belle Alexander of Gaylord, Michigan. They had two children, Harrison, and Mrs. Verona Sutton, both of Mount Pleasant.
Harry entered the photography business at age 19 and worked until eight weeks before his death. An avid outdoorsman, he also enjoyed novelty woodwork and was a member of the Elks Lodge. On August 14, 1944, Harry died at his home on South Fancher. He was survived by his wife, children, mother, and one granddaughter, Elrae Mayville.
Harrison A. Francisco was born on August 14, 1911 in Mount Pleasant. Except or service in the U.S. Army during World War II, he worked all of his life in the photography studio, from which he retired in 1973. Like his father, Harrison was an avid hunter and fisherman. He never married. He died on December 2, 1990 and was survived by his sister. (This information is from the collection.)
