# Harvey Caplin

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Harvey Caplin Born Harvey Harold Caplin (1915-07-21)July 21, 1915 Died November 14, 1984(1984-11-14) (aged 69) Albuquerque, New Mexico Other name Harvey H. Caplin Education Rochester Institute of Technology Occupation Free-lance photographer of the American Southwest Spouse Grace Morton ​ (m. 1940)​

**Harvey Caplin** (July 21, 1915 – November 14, 1984) was an American freelance photographer of [Albuquerque, New Mexico](/source/Albuquerque%2C_New_Mexico).[1] His work spanned the [American Southwest](/source/Southwestern_United_States), but centered primarily on images of scenic and historical significance within the state of [New Mexico](/source/New_Mexico). He documented the working life of cowboys on [Bell Ranch](/source/Bell_Ranch), the lives of Native Americans, and landmarks.

## Personal life and education

Harvey Harold Caplin was born on July 21, 1915, in [Rochester, New York](/source/Rochester%2C_New_York)[2] to Yetta and David Chaplin. His father was an immigrant from Germany. He had a brother Albert and a sister Inez.[3] Caplin was raised in Rochester.[4] He graduated with an applied arts degree from [Rochester Institute of Technology](/source/Rochester_Institute_of_Technology).[4]

Caplin married Grace Morton of [Elmira, New York](/source/Elmira%2C_New_York) on May 30, 1940, and lived in Rochester after their marriage.[5] They had a daughter and son, Abbie and Lee.[4]

During World War II, he served the [United States Army Air Forces](/source/United_States_Army_Air_Forces)[4] and was stationed in [Albuquerque, New Mexico](/source/Albuquerque%2C_New_Mexico) at the [Kirtland Air Force Base](/source/Kirtland_Air_Force_Base).[6] He was a damage photographer.[7] Caplin settled in Albuquerque in 1945.[4] He died on November 14, 1984, in Albuquerque.[1]

## Career

In 1940, Caplin worked at the Rochester Lithographic Company.[2] Caplin began taking pictures of the Southwestern United States, particularly in New Mexico, in the 1940s. His interests included landscapes of [Utah](/source/Utah), [Arizona](/source/Arizona), [New Mexico](/source/New_Mexico), and [Colorado](/source/Colorado).[1] In 1944, he was hired by the New Mexico Tourist Bureau to capture color images of scenic and historical significance for promotional and tourist materials.[8][9] The *[Saturday Evening Post](/source/Saturday_Evening_Post)* hired him to capture a series of landscape photos. The "River of Aspens" came out of that effort.[1] A United States commemorative postage stamp depicts Caplin's photograph of [Shiprock](/source/Shiprock) to memorialize the 50th year of New Mexico's statehood. He taught photography.[4]

Many of his images were taken at [Bell Ranch](/source/Bell_Ranch), sometimes on horseback and alongside working cowboys. He photographed [Puebloan](/source/Puebloan) people — like [Maria Martinez](/source/Maria_Martinez), a notable potter from [San Ildefonso Pueblo](/source/San_Ildefonso_Pueblo%2C_New_Mexico) — and [Navajo](/source/Navajo) and [Zuni](/source/Zuni_people) Native Americans. He was hired by the [Bureau of Indian Affairs](/source/Bureau_of_Indian_Affairs) to preserve information about their ways of life, such as their ceremonial practices.[1]

Caplin had a studio in [Old Town Albuquerque](/source/Old_Town_Albuquerque).[1] His works have been published in *[Life](/source/Life_(magazine))*, *[Time](/source/Time_(magazine))*, *[New Mexico Magazine](/source/New_Mexico_Magazine)*, *[Field & Stream](/source/Field_%26_Stream)*, and other magazines.[4] Caplin was a founding member of a professional photographers' organization in 1948.[10] He cataloged 55,000 photographs that he made up to the year of his death.[1]

## Publication

- Caplin, Harvey (1973). [*Enchanted Land, New Mexico*](https://books.google.com/books?id=0NqcAAAACAAJ). Bank Securities, Incorporated. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-910750-28-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-910750-28-8).

- Fitzpatrick, George; Caplin, Harvey (1976), [*Albuquerque: 100 years in pictures, 1875-1975*](https://archive.org/details/albuquerque100ye00fitz) (2nd ed.), Albuquerque, N.M: Modern Press, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [091075036X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/091075036X)

**Posthumous books**

- Caplin, Harvey; Caplin, Abbie (2010). [*Harvey Caplin's Real Cowboys & the Old West*](https://books.google.com/books?id=Fy3RQgAACAAJ). Schiffer Pub. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7643-3434-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7643-3434-4).

- Johns, Douglas C. (2019). [*Harvey Caplin's Photographic Archive of the Southwest: An Archive of 50,000 Graphic Documents Illustrating the Dynamic Growth and Transformation of a Region in the Four Decades Following World War II*](https://books.google.com/books?id=3NTezQEACAAJ). Douglas Johns.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-AJ_obit_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-AJ_obit_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-AJ_obit_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-AJ_obit_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-AJ_obit_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-AJ_obit_1-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-AJ_obit_1-6) ["Obituary for Harvey H. Caplin"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/albuquerque-journal-obituary-for-harvey/124825642/). *Albuquerque Journal*. November 16, 1984. Retrieved May 16, 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-WWII_reg_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-WWII_reg_2-1) "Harvey Harold Caplin, Registration on October 16, 1940 at Rochester, New York", *WWII Draft Registration Cards For New York State, 10/16/1940 - 03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147*, National Archives, Saint Louis, Missouri

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "Harvey Caplin, Rochester, New York", *1930 Federal Census*, Washington, D.C.: National Archives

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-AT_obit_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-AT_obit_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-AT_obit_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-AT_obit_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-AT_obit_4-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-AT_obit_4-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-AT_obit_4-6) ["Obituary for Harvey H Caplin"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-albuquerque-tribune-obituary-for-har/124823523/). *The Albuquerque Tribune*. November 16, 1984. Retrieved May 16, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-marriage_5-0)** ["Marriage of Grace Morton and Harvey Caplin"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-gazette-marriage-of-grace-morton-an/124833365/). *Star Gazette*. May 31, 1940. Retrieved May 17, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Obituary for Harvey H. Caplin"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-deming-headlight-obituary-for-harvey/124825237/). *The Deming Headlight*. November 16, 1984. p. 6. Retrieved May 16, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-RiT_7-0)** ["Art on Campus: Harvey Caplin"](https://www.rit.edu/artoncampus/harvey-caplin). *www.rit.edu*. Retrieved May 17, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Harvey Caplin appointed as photographer for State Tourist Bureau"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/carlsbad-current-argus-harvey-caplin-app/124833999/). *Carlsbad Current Argus*. July 14, 1947. Retrieved May 17, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Tourist Bureau Gets Photographer"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-santa-fe-new-mexican-tourist-bureau/124834423/). *Santa Fe New Mexican*. July 14, 1947. Retrieved May 17, 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Photographers Hold First Meeting"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-albuquerque-tribune-photographers-ho/124834652/). *The Albuquerque Tribune*. April 3, 1948. Retrieved May 17, 2023.

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF National United States Artists Photographers' Identities

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Harvey Caplin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Caplin) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Caplin?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.