Sam Peckinpah

The photograph series of the Sam Peckinpah papers spans the late 1930s to the early 1980s and encompasses 4.5 linear feet. The series consists of 4,695 items, including prints, contact sheets, snapshots, 35mm color slides, color negatives and color transparencies. The photographs are grouped into motion picture production photographs and subject photographs.

The motion picture production photographs span the years 1960–1983 and consist of photographs from films Peckinpah appeared in and/or directed. The material is arranged alphabetically by film title, and 16 titles are represented. The photographs consist of scene, off-camera, advertising art, general publicity, location research, set reference, storyboard, and wardrobe reference photographs. The earliest film represented is The Deadly Companions (1961), and the latest film represented is The Osterman Weekend (1983). Persons depicted include James Coburn, Robert Duvall, Bob Dylan, Charlton Heston, Dustin Hoffman, William Holden, Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Steve McQueen, Warren Oates, Jason Robards, Randolph Scott, and Gig Young. Also included in this series are television production photographs for The Westerner, produced by NBC in 1960. All five episodes that Peckinpah directed are represented. The photographs consist of scene, off-camera, and general publicity photographs. Persons depicted include John Dehner, Rudy Dolan, Michael Greene, Brian Keith, Diana Millay, and Warren Oates.

The subject photographs span from the late 1930s to the early 1980s and include the following subseries: biography, family, friends and family, general, portraits, and travel. The biography photographs span the 1950s to the early 1980s (bulk 1970s–1980s) and consist of a small group of snapshots of Peckinpah with various acquaintances over the years. Among those depicted are Jerry Brown, James Coburn, Julio Corona, Lee Marvin, and Lee Remick. A few of the photographs are autographed, including those of Pat Brown, Julio Corona, Jade Garrison, and Wayne Tucker. The family photographs span the 1970s to the early 1980s and consist of snapshots, stills, and Polaroids of various family members including Peckinpah’s daughter Melissa and the family cat. The friends and family photographs span the 1960s to the early 1980s. Persons depicted include Roscoe Fawcett, Camille Fielding, Michael Morgan, the Prieto family, John Renbourne, Donald T. Waters, and Betsy Wright. The general photographs span the 1960s to the early 1980s and consist of photographs of various subjects, including fine art by Zoran Jovanovic, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol; horses; the exterior of a mountain log cabin; Peckinpah at various events; and unidentified productions. Most of these files contain only a few photos. The portrait photographs contain five photographs of Sam Peckinpah at various stages in his life. The travel photographs consist of vacation snapshots and postcards.

Gift of the Peckinpah family, 1986.