Part 1 (PH Series 2427): Original Collection, 1958-1978
Physical Description: 2.4 cubic feet (10 card boxes) 
Scope and Content Note: Color transparencies transferred from the department's “duplicate and dormant” photograph file. The transparencies primarily document Wisconsin's tourist attractions and scenery during the late 1960s and early 1970s, a period when the tourism function was managed by the department's Division of Tourism. A few images relate to the department's general responsibilities for natural resource management. Among the most documented categories are scenery, especially in Door County; tourist attractions and events such as Aqualand, Circus World Museum, the Milwaukee Folk Fair, the “Song of Norway” festival, Villa Louis, and the Wisconsin Dells; Governor Dodge State Park, Horicon Marsh, Poynette Game Farm and other state parks; numerous lakes and rivers; and outdoor recreation such as boating, camping, fishing, deer and duck hunting, skiing, and snowmobiling. The majority of these images were photographed by Dale Tvedt and Stabler W. Reese.
Arrangement of the Materials

The majority of the transparencies in PH Series 2427 are arranged by the hierarchically-based numerical code used by the department through the 1970s. A typical code number is 21/3/17/10-6(1), a view of a snowmobile derby at Eagle River. The numerical system roughly grouped images by subject, and thus for the previous example, the more general number 21/3/17/10 seems to refer to recreation with snowmobiles. Unfortunately, the precise meaning of the numerical codes has been lost, and internal evidence suggests that the system was more complex than simple subject arrangement. Individual variants of a single image are not all arranged together by the code system. Furthermore, the system is not exclusive; other pictures including snowmobiles are scattered elsewhere in the series.

During the 1970s the department introduced an alphabetical subject file for its photographs that also included primary and secondary topical subdivisions to define subjects more precisely. Thus a typical description might be “Fisheries-Management-Test seining.” Some, but not all, of the transparencies were assigned to these subject categories, and some images did not receive topical subdivisions. Once again, the subject categories were not consistently applied so variant views of one image might have several different subject classifications.

An index table follows that includes both the numerical codes applied to particular images, as well as any subject headings that were assigned.

Code Number

1 - 11

11 - 19/4

19/4 - 21/3

21/3/2/2 - 21/3/9

21/3/10 - 21/3/17

21/3/17 - 23/2/9.1

23/2/9 - 24/1/1.1-0.3

24/1/1.1/2 - 27

Unnumbered (by subject)

Air quality - disaster/drought

Disaster/floods - recreation/snowmobiles

Recreation/swimming - wildlife management; unidentified

Part 2 (2005/152): Additions, 1962-1966
Physical Description: 0.4 cubic feet (1 card box) 
Scope and Content Note: 4 x 5-inch color transparencies, 1962-1966, primarily relating to the department's responsibility for tourist promotion. The transparencies are arranged in the same numerical classification system as the previously received 2 x 2-inch slides, so the index to that material may be of assistance in searching this accession. However, this material exhibits the same inconsistencies evident in the earlier materials. In general, the 4 x 5-inch transparencies derive from file categories #21 (recreation) and #23 (scenery), and they document well such topics as fishing and boating and include many views of lakes, rivers, and resorts. Actor John Carradine and Governor Gaylord Nelson are also represented. The majority of the photography was done by Norval Barger Jr. and Dean Tvedt.