Celebrating 75 years of PSA: dedicated to the memory of longtime PSA historian, Tony Patti, Hon PSA, FPSA.

PSA's Charter Clubs

The Photographic Society of America (PSA) has a history that is presently of high interest because it is the 75th anniversary year of the organization. Celebrating this milestone means looking back at the roots of the Society. Camera clubs and other photographic groups were the beginning of organized photography in North America. with individual members following in 1934 when the Photographic Society of America was established. The importance of camera clubs to the history of North American photography is well documented and a bit of the background is related here.

The early organization known as Associated Camera Clubs of America (ACCA), formed in 1919, had 22 charter member clubs:

* Boston Y.M.C. U. Camera Club, Massachusetts: California Camera Club of San Francisco. California; Chicago Camera Club. Illinois; Cleveland Photographic Society, Ohio; Columbia Photographic Society, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania: Dartmouth Camera Club. Hanover. New Hampshire; Elysian Camera Club, Hoboken, New Jersey; Grand Rapids Camera Club. Michigan; Kansas City Camera Club. Missouri; Newark Camera Club, New Jersey; New Britain Camera Club, Connecticut: New Haven Camera Club, Connecticut; Orange Camera Club; East Orange, New Jersey; Oregon Camera Club, Portland. Oregon: Overseas Camera Club, Detroit, Michigan: Photographic Society of Philadelphia. Pennsylvania: Portland Camera Club. Maine; Southern California Camera Club, Los Angeles, California; St Louis Camera Club, Missouri; The Camera Club of Waterbury, Connecticut; The Photographic Club of Baltimore, Maryland; Yonkers Camera Club, New York.

When, in 1933, the idea of a photo organization for both individuals and clubs in North America was born, the ACCA had grown to 51 affiliated amateur photographer clubs with professional organizations of about the same number. All member-clubs of the ACCA were encouraged to cast their votes for the Photographic Society of America name-change by December 31, 1933. Early in 1934 the new Society was a reality and 50 clubs then on the rolls of ACCA became the Charter Member clubs of PSA. Records in the American Annual of Photography show that there were about 85 amateur photographers' clubs listed in North America but not all had joined ACCA. The book yearly listed the most prolific printers of the times (the first "who's who" of printmakers) as well as giving readers information on camera clubs.

Today there are 11 of those original ACCA groups that are still member-clubs of PSA but virtually all appear to have allowed their memberships to lapse, at least briefly, at least once in the last 75 years but are on the PSA membership rolls at this time:

* Cleveland Photo Society, Ohio; Delaware Camera Club, Delaware; Fort Dearborn-Chicago Photo Forum, Illinois; Oklahoma Camera Club, Oklahoma; Omaha Camera Club, Nebraska; Pictorial Photographers of America, New York; Photo Pictorialists of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Photo Section of the Academy of Sciences and Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Portland Camera Club, Maine; St Paul Camera Club, Minnesota and Taft Camera Club, Taft, California.

The Society is proud of these existing Charter Clubs, which are as different one from the other as are photography groups organized in later years. Sometimes a club membership has fallen off to under 10 members, although that information is neither requested nor kept by the Society.

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Have a brief look at today's charter member clubs (some have been featured in the Journal when celebrating a club anniversary):

* Cleveland Photographic Society meets in Broadview Heights, Ohio, and has come to be quite small: History reveals that the group was one of two Ohio organizations that traveled by train to the annual "salons" and early PSA meetings in Philadelphia.

* Delaware Photographic Society (originally known as "Delaware Camera Club") is a large organization--proud to be the sponsor of the long-successful Wilmington International Exhibition held annually in late January. Herb G. Sargeant, PPSA, serves as the PSA "rep" and has for many years. Check out the February 2007 issue of the PSA Journal for more about this large club,

* Fort Dearborn Camera Club Jay Allison represents PSA to this charter club in the Chicago area.

* Grand Rapids Camera Club records Diane Durand as the clubs representative to PSA at this time.

* Oklahoma Camera Club has been featured in the Journal (November 2007) on the occasion of their club's anniversary. The group has varied in size from time to time and successfully handles projects it undertakes, including the Youth Showcase. The leadership of this club has made any undertaking a success. (Tom and Carol McCreary, PPSAs, share the PSA Representative title).

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* Omaha Camera Club has Susan Baxter as representative for this PSA-member club.

* Photo Pictorialists of Milwaukee has celebrated its 100th anniversary as a club and was featured in the November 2004 Journal on pages 20 and 21. Long-time PSA representative for the group, Ellen Worzala, FPSA, prepared the article. An active group and very successful with much going on.

* Photo Section of Academy of Science and Art, Pittsburgh Robert Agnew is the contact person of this long-time group within the Academy.

* Photo Society of Philadelphia Eileen Eckstein is presently shown at the representative to PSA for this fine old organization.

* Portland Camera Club Speaking for this Maine club is Dennis Marrotte, the PSA representative, who tells of wonderful events and plans.

* St. Paul Camera Club of the St. Paul area of Minnesota is a well-organized group with an impressive club manual, which includes a roster of members. Gene Schwope, FPSA, the PSA Representative and his wife, Pat, are in charge of the club's manual, an 8 1/2 x 11 inch loose leaf notebook which he updates annually. Especially helpful is the members' directory with a photo of each person in the club as well as information competition exhibitions, rules, PSA, bylaws and

* Schenectady Photo Society lists Linda Heim as its PSA representative.

* Taft Camera Club began as a company camera club in the town of Taft in the San Joaquin valley of California. Presently enjoying a very active life as a camera club, at times it has been very small and inactive. Presently speaking for the group is Herb Spencer of Bakersfield. At conference, attendees can expect to see prints from a member of bygone years.

PSA can look back at these long-time clubs of the Society and know that the 75th Anniversary of PSA means that all of the listed clubs are older than the Society itself! Thanks to these member-clubs for their faithfulness to PSA.

Jean Timmermeister, FPSA