NOTE: scroll down this page to view the thumbnails.  Click on a thumbnail to view a mid-level size image. Click on the lower center part of that image if you wish to view the largest image.

This is a digital record of a scrapbook contains news clips, scoresheets, photos, and momentos of National Archery Association archery events ranging from 1911 to 1914. The items in the book are not in strict chronological order, and the paper had become extremely brittle and yellowed, crumbling at the slightest provocation. Some photos are astonishingly good, but many were not of stable quality originally and have faded. In a number of instances the scanned image reveals more detail than is visible in the original, thanks to the features of the VueScan software.

This book was turned over to me to create a permanent and lasting digital copy, as the original book was literally falling apart and not readily usable by the membership. There are a number of pages containing blank spots with captions, indicating that some photos have been removed and not returned. Perhaps they were removed in order to be used in other publications, and then not returned. Their absence is a disappointment, regardless. Each page was scanned at a resolution of 400 DPI and 16-bit gray output using VueScan 8.5.04 and an Epson V500 flatbed scanner, yielding a non-lossy format (tiff) file of approximately 31 megabytes each.  Where the original had a color, such as the postage stamp, I used 24-bit RGB output.

This high DPI count should enable successful Optical Character Recognition (OCR) of the text throughout at some point in the future. This online digital album uses compressed jpg files derived from the tiff files to allow for use here (broadband recommended). I have scanned both the entire page and where appropriate, a separate scan of each photo on that page. Each item will have its own page in this photoalbum. Many photos are from newspaper print and therefore of limited quality.  I have done what I can to improve the image, decreaing moire effect for example.

Clicking on any thumbnail on these index pages should provide a larger image and clicking in the lower center of that image will then load an even larger image. At some point the pages in the scrapbook were numbered by pencil, and page 150 is no longer present when this project was received. If anyone knows where the page or photos might be, their return would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you have any similar archery-related documents or photos of similar historical value and would be willing to allow their reproduction in a similar manner to this scrapbook, please contact the executive director at the USA Archery offices. This is especially true of any tournament brochures, results, trophy photos, medals, etc.  This is an ongoing project to regain our history for the benefit of the entire membership and for posterity.   The various newspaper articles speak of wonderful gold, silver, and bronze medals, arrows, artwork, all used as trophies, that we shall not likely see again as rewards for excellence - it is sad that we do not have images of these now.

Finally, I am extremely pleased to note that there are a number of photos and some text descriptions of ISHI, an indian that lived his life out in Berkeley, CA at a university there, under the protection (and study) of anthropologists. He actually signed a postcard (see photo 109) that was to be given as an award to the archer with the highest score at a tournament. Unfortunately, several of the missing photos were of Ishi. However, what we do have makes for fascinating reading and viewing.  Enjoy.

A.Ron Carmichael, March 4, 2009