Person Record
Metadata
Name |
Pearl, Norton |
Notes |
Norton Pearl started his career in photography taking pictures of his classmates at McKinley School in Burlingame, developing them in the garage darkroom and sharing them with his friends and teachers. While still at McKinley, the Burlingame Advance bought, for $ 3.50, his first picture to be published. He continued on to Burlingame High School where he was photographer for the school newspaper and became yearbook editor. He also volunteered to do photography for the Burlingame Fire Department. Many of these images soon started appearing in the newspapers of the area. While getting his degree in Business Administration from San Jose State, he did freelance assignments for San Francisco newspapers and started working for United Press Photos. After three years with UP, his talents were sought by a San Mateo commercial photography studio, he joined them and two years later bought the business. The studio remained in San Mateo until 1963 when the need for expansion brought him back to Burlingame. Norton Pearl Photography was one of the early businesses in the East Millsdale area. From this base, the studio continued to expand to become the largest commercial studio on the peninsula. His client list included many of the major corporations of the Bay Area and beyond. In a short time, Norton and his staff were completing assignments for them locally as well as around the country and the world. The challenge of creating meaningful images of subjects as diverse as communications equipment on the North Slope of Alaska, a home wares catalog, a copper mine in Peru, furniture manufacturing in Thailand, the Pillsbury Bake-Off in San Francisco and thousands of other assignments meant that there were very few dull days for the next 53 years. Norton Pearl Photography closed its Burlingame operation in 2003 and became a home-based operation out of San Mateo for the next 10 years. The business existed for a total of 53 years, from 1958-2013. In 2015, Norton Pearl donated his collection of 250,000 photonegatives, cumulated throughout his career, to the San Mateo County Historical Association. |
Role |
Artist |
Born |
1933 |
Birthplace |
San Francisco |
Occupation |
Norton Pearl Photography Freelance Photography Acme News Pictures United Press Photos Camera Photo Service |
Education |
McKinley Elementary School, Burlingame Burlingame High School, Burlingame Leland Stanford Junior University, Stanford BA, San Jose State University, San Jose |
Places of residence |
San Francisco,CA Burlingame, CA San Mateo, CA |
Father |
Archibald "Archie" Pearl |
Mother |
Rose Pearl |
Spouse |
Lila Lee Smith Pearl |
Children |
Michael Pearl |
Related Records
-
Brewer Island Aerial, Beginning Development of Foster City, 1962 - Negative
Brewer Island Aerial, Beginning Development of Foster City, 1962. Black and white negative shows Brewer Island with the early development of Foster City. Marshland with some sloughs and channels are visible in the image. The 1929 San Mateo-Hayward Drawbridge and Highway 92 extend along the lower shoreline. A transmission tower is visible to the left of center in this area. Part of a series.
Record Type: Photo
-
Christmas Scene at Cañada College Campus, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of Christmas Scene at Cañada College Campus.
Record Type: Photo
-
Christmas Scene at Cañada College Campus, 1969 - Negative
Christmas Scene at Cañada College Campus, 1969. Black and white photonegative of three students (1 male and 2 females) during Christmas program at Cañada College Campus.
Record Type: Photo
-
Christmas Scene at Cañada College Campus, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of Christmas Scene at Cañada College Campus.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Ceramics Class, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of students and instructor in ceramics class at College of San Mateo. Part of a series.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Ceramics Class, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of students and instructor in ceramics class at College of San Mateo. Part of a series.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Football Players, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of football players at College of San Mateo.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting..
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting..
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting..
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting..
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting..
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
-
College of San Mateo Justice and Law Meeting, 1969 - Negative
Black and white photonegative of College of San Mateo justice and law meeting.
Record Type: Photo
