An internationally recognized photographer's archive and a major endowment are coming to the University of Arizona's Center for Creative Photography. Esther Mitchell has donated her late husband Benn Mitchell's photographic archive to the center, along with a $1 million gift to establish the Benn and Esther Mitchell Endowed Collection Fund.

The gift provides a major boost to the preservation and study of the work of a photographer who captured American vitality, from the streets of New York City to the soundstages of Hollywood.

"We are deeply thankful to Esther Mitchell for her generosity to the Center for Creative Photography," said Hasan Elahi, dean of Arizona Arts. "Her dual gift is both forward-looking and deeply personal, supporting the center's future while entrusting us with the archive of her late husband, Benn Mitchell. The significance of the CCP collection cannot be overstated."

‘Always looking for the next picture'

Born in 1926, Benn Mitchell got an early start in photography, receiving his first camera at age 13 and selling his first picture to "Life" magazine a few years later.

"He started at 16, photographing his little brother during a heat wave, sitting on a block of ice eating ice cream," Esther Mitchell said. "'Life' magazine published it, and he got $25. He thought he was a rich, successful photographer right then. From that point on, he was always looking for the next picture."

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At 17, Mitchell left New York City for Hollywood, where he photographed stars including Humphrey Bogart. After two years as a U.S. Navy photographer, he returned to New York City and, in 1951, opened a commercial studio that he and Esther operated for decades. His work there ranged from vivid New York street scenes and images of American Indian culture to advertising and stock photography.

"Benn had the patience to wait for the right day, the right light and the right moment for the perfect picture," Esther Mitchell said. "He could spend hours – sometimes all night – in the darkroom making sure the print matched the image he envisioned."

Preserving the collection

The archive includes Mitchell's photographs and prints, plus clippings and publications featuring his work, and some of his photographic equipment. Through the donation, the Center for Creative Photography holds the copyright to Mitchell's photographs, which are available for education, exhibition and scholarly study as part of the larger archive.

"When I started looking for the right home for Benn's work, I learned about the Center for Creative Photography and the strong reputation they have for preserving archives," Esther Mitchell said. "They don't just store photographs. They study them, teach with them and share them with the public. That combination really made me feel it was the right place."

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Todd Tubutis, director of the Center for Creative Photography, said the endowment will support collections care, including shelving, archival boxing, paid student internships and other expenses required to preserve the archive.

"The Center for Creative Photography is the ideal home for Benn Mitchell's archive, and we are extremely grateful to Esther Mitchell for choosing the CCP to be the steward of Benn's legacy," Tubutis said. "Esther understands the critical importance of collections care, and her endowment gift will help ensure we are able to maintain best practices in preserving our collection and making it accessible to everyone."

A lasting legacy

As the CCP continues to process the donated materials, it has posted several of Mitchell's photographs online. Esther Mitchell said she hopes viewers will experience the beauty, humor and history in her husband's work.

"Benn always said that all the money he made from photography should go back into the arts," she said. "That was his only career, and he wanted it to support others. This donation makes sure that wish will be carried out, now and in the future." 

The gift is also part of the university's $3 billion campaign. Gifts to this comprehensive fundraising effort have touched all parts of campus, powering student success, faculty research and much more.

"This gift is not just an incredible addition to the CCP's collection, it's also an investment in the CCP's ongoing preservation practices," said John-Paul Roczniak, president and CEO of the University of Arizona Foundation. "Thanks to Benn and Esther Mitchell's endowment, the CCP will have an ongoing fund to support caring for its collections."