W. Maurice Hall (Corvallis)
Ball Studios
The Ball studio is still in business in Corvallis, and is the oldest continuously operating photography studio in Oregon. It is unfortunate they have burned down 3 times, and thus have no records of their early years.
Directory Listings
1913 POW pg. 206 Corvallis “Ball Studio, The, W. Maurice Hall propr, commercial dept., large stock of Oregon views, timber, coast, fruit and ranch, photo cirkut panoramic work”
1915 POW p. 1490 Photographers “Ball, W. M., Corvallis”
1917 POW p. 1534 Photographers “Ball Studio, Corvallis”
Photographer’s Imprints
“W. Hall” signed in negative on 3 x 10″ panoramic print of Oregon City Paper Mills.
“Ball Studio, Corvallis Ore.” imprint on front of mount
“Ball Studios, Corvallis Oregon, Albany, Oregon.” imprint on portrait folder
News Items and Advertisements
1903: “Ball Studio, the, W. Maurice Hall propr, commercial dept. large stock of Oregon Views, Timber, Coast, Fruit & Ranch, Photo Cirkut Panoramic Work” Polk’s Oregon Washington Gazetteer, Portland; R. L. Polk & Co, 1903, pg. 206.
1921: “Elmore Studio Sold. The C. Elmore Grove Studio of Art in the Morgan building was purchased last week by M. W. Ball of Corvallis and Struck Aune, formerly of Portland and for the last seven years a photographer in Los Angeles. The business is to be conducted at the same address under the name of the Aune & Ball Studio of Photographic Art.” Morning Oregonian, September 12, 1921, pg. 15, col. 6.
1922: “Representative photographers from the principal cities south of Portland met Saturday evening in the Ball studio in Corvallis to perfect an organization which will work with the Portland Photographers society, which in turn cooperates with the northwest organization and the national photographers of America. About thirty five people were present for the election of officers and later for a banquet In the camera room of the studio. Officially the organization will be known as the Willamette Valley Photographers association, and with Portland forms the only two societies in Oregon of the kind. The next meeting will be held in Salem on November 4, in the Parker studio. These meetings will be held every month. The officers elected were, Chester M. Coffey of McMinnville, president; Mrs. W. M. Ball of Corvallis, vice president, and Miss Kathryn Gunnell of Salem, secretary-treasurer.” Capital journal (Salem), October 10, 1922, pg. 5, col. 3.