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Julian Pitzer Graham(March 13, 1886-October 14, 1963) nicknamed "Spike", was an American photographer best known for his black and white photographs of the Monterey Pennisula, especially the Pebble Beach Properties.

Graham, through his photography, chronicled the entire Monterey Penninsula for 39 years, capturing the natural beauty of the area and thousands of visitors; the famous movie stars, royalty, politicans and celebrities and well as the ordinary citizens. He specialized in photographing the Bing Crosby Clambake from 1947-1963,the creation of Cypress Point Golf Club, Monterey Peninsula Country Club and Pasatiempo (socialite sportswoman,Marion Hollins' course), the Concours d'Elegance, Road Races, dog shows, sailing regattas, polo matches with their gallery, horse racing and steeplechase, tennis matches, archery, and diving. One of Graham's most famous subjects was the world renowned golf architect, Dr. Alister MacKenzie (of which there are 59 photos). Graham photographed every man and woman golf professional of importance that played in the area.

On the Monterey Peninsula, there is likely no photograpgher that has captured more images on film than Julian P. Graham, who is credited with 40,000+ known images (13,200 images are stored at the Bancroft Library at Berkeley). Graham's hallmark was for his scenic vantage points from which he candidly captured the thrill of the moment in action shots while using the stunning Monterey Peninsula scenery as a backdrop. Graham preferred larger format cameras, but experimented with smalled and lighter cameras as they evolved. His early images were shot on 8x10 glass negatives; most of his images are 4x5 nitrate and the last images are 35 mm slides.

Graham owned and operated the "Pebble Beach Camera Shop & Julian P. Graham Studio" that was located across the from the main entrance to The Lodge at Pebble Beach. In "Game and Gossip" magazine, January 24, 1963, on the back cover described his shop as "film, camera, accessories of all types. Rentals. Prompt developing. Studio and laboratory for protraits, commerical and color photography".

Life

Childhood

Graham was born in Washington, DC to parents, Horace Alexander Graham and Laura E. Wright. Julian was the second child of 5 children; his three sisters, Claudia, Hazel and Imogine and one brother David, eight years his junior. Father, Horace Graham, worked as a compositor in the Government Printing Office and Julian briefly worked as a clerk in the Department of Agricuture. Julian, while in his teens, tried his luck in a short lived career as a semi-professional baseball player, earned the nickname, "Spike", that would follow him the rest of his life.

Adulthood

Julian, age 20, married Luelva M. White on January 17, 1906. With Luelva he fathered two children, David William and Dorothy Elizabeth. Julian and Luelva divorced in 1910 after four years of marriage. Soon after his divorce, he married Jeanette Farden in New York City and discovered his passion for photography. Julian and Jeanette criss-crossed the country and Julian supported them with his photography. Thier first daughter, Alice, was born in Washington state in 1914, second daughter Davida in San Francisco in 1915. Thier travels took them to Oklahoma City in 1918 and Portland, Oregon in 1920. A son, Julian P. Graham Jr. (Hoolie) was born in Santa Clara County, California on Dec. 23, 1921 and daughter Janet was born there two years later in January 1923, totaling four children with Jeanette. New to Carmel, in the early 1920's, Graham met and worked for J.F. Devendorf, the town's founder, who introduced Graham to John Hagemeyer, a renowned portraitist. Graham and Hagemeyer grew to be close friends and with Hagemeyer's help, further developed and refined his photographic skills. In early 1924, Graham was offered the position of photographer by Samuel FB Morse for the Del Monte Properties at the Hotel Del Monte(today is the Naval Postgraduate School)in Monterey. Graham happily accepted and began his long career in February 1924 as the independent, official photographer for the Del Monte Properties, which today is the Pebble Beach Company. In the great fire of September, 1924, that razed the old Hotel Del Monte, many of Graham's earliest negatives were lost. While the Hotel Del Monte was being rebuilt, Graham set up his new darkroom temporarily in the bowling alley at the Del Monte baths on Monterey Beach. Graham continued having his studio at the Hotel Del Monte until 1944.

By 1926, Graham was receiving artistic recognition for his work, some of which was included among the 288 photos selected for the Fourth International Exhibition of the pictorial Photographic Society held at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco that included photographers from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, England, France, Germany, Holland Hungary, Italy, Java New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Another photography friend was Ansel Adams, who is remembered by Julian's son "Hoolie", for sitting down to dinners over the years at Graham's Carmel Valley home together.

In 1937, 26 year old Gwenn Campbell, a graduate of the University of Washington, was hired in the publicity department for the Del Monte Properties, allowing the head of publicity, Herbert Cerwin, enough freedom to travel with Graham to Asia to cover the invasion of China by Japan. Cerwin, acting as a reporter and Graham, acting as a foreign war photographer, were abroad for two months traveling to Honolulu, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Canton-site of the heaviest fighting--before ending their journey in Japan. Graham's and Cerwin's travels and adventures are chronicled in Cerwin's book, "In Search of Something." Upon Graham return in 1938 to Monterey, Jeanette, who had become disenchanted by Graham's trip, decided to divorce him. In 1941, Gwenn Campbell was promoted to head the publicity department for the Del Monte Properties but when the U.S. Navy took over the Hotel Del Monte in January 1943, Gwenn's job was temporarily suspended. Gwenn moved to San Francisco to run the publicity for Roos-Atkins, a men's clothier while Graham moved his studio to Menlo Park. Gwenn Campbell and Julian P. Graham married in 1944 and moved back to Del Monte after the war. Graham had space in the new arcade across from the entrance to The Lodge at Pebble Beach where he open a camera shop and photography studio. Graham hired William C. Brooks in 1953 to work in the darkroom on a regular basis. When Graham died in 1963, Brooks manned the camera shop and took photographs at Pebble Beach from 1963 to 1968, continuing under the name of "Julian P. Graham Studios". Upon Gwenn's death in October of 1968, Brooks bought from Gwenn's estate the Camera Shop and Studio but not the vast collection of negatives that were stored at camera shop. In Gwenn's and Julian's will, all of Julian's 40,000+ negatives were willed to the Bancroft Library at Berkeley.

Death

Graham died on October 14, 1963 and his obituary made the Associated Press news release: "Julian P. Graham, 77, who specialized in photographing the Monterey Peninsula but who was equally known for his news and nature pictures, died Monday of a heart attack". Samuel F.B. Morse, Chairman of the Board of the Del Monte Properties Co. and long-time friend, said "Spike did a magnificent job all of his life for us and for the community. His photographs show great talent.  His death is a serious loss to us. We will miss him tremendously".