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Richard D. Zakia papers

 Collection
Identifier: RITArc-0746

Collection Scope and Content Note

The Richard D. Zakia papers are a compilation of materials relating to RIT, photographic arts, and notable photographers. The collection includes correspondence, text drafts, printed reference, posters, photographs, notes, and more. Additional scope and content information can be found in the Contents List section of this finding aid.

The Richard D. Zakia papers have been arranged into five series, one of which has been further divided into subseries. The materials are housed in 10 archival document boxes and one oversized flat box.

Dates

  • Creation: 1921 - 2010
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1962 - 1989

Creator

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is open for research use.

Biographical Note

Richard Donald (“Dick”) Zakia (1925-2012) was a longtime faculty member of RIT’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Zakia graduated from Edison Technical High School in 1943 and joined Eastman Kodak as a welder. Zakia served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946 and again from 1950-1952.

Zakia attended RIT and graduated in 1956 with his Bachelor’s of Science in Photographic Science. After graduation, he worked at Eastman Kodak as a photographic engineer for two years. Zakia then returned to RIT in 1958, where he would remain for 34 years. Zakia earned his doctoral degree in education from the University of Rochester 1970. At RIT, Zakia worked as the Director of Educational Research and Development, Chair of the Fine Art Photography program, and head of the MFA in Media Arts program. In 1980, Zakia was given the Eisenhart Outstanding Teaching Award.

He wrote or co-wrote more than a dozen books on photography and maintained professional relationships with many notable 20th century photographers. Zakia retired in 1992 and eventually moved to North Carolina to be closer to family members; he was granted the honorific Professor Emeritus at RIT. He passed away in 2012 at age 87.

Extent

6 Linear Feet (10 archival document boxes, one oversized flat box)

Language

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Richard D. Zakia papers are a compilation of materials relating to RIT, photographic arts, and notable photographers. The bulk of the collection is dated between 1962 and 1989, though many materials are undated.

System of Arrangement

Series I: General correspondence files, 1971-1989 and n.d.

Series II: Biographical information, 1952-1969 and n.d.

Series III: Reference, 1937-2010 and n.d.

  • Subseries A: Rudolf Arnheim
  • Subseries B: Ralph Hattersley
  • Subseries C: Barbara Morgan
  • Subseries D: Ted Serios
  • Subseries E: Minor White
  • Subseries F: Additional topics

Series IV: Photographs and images, 1921-2001 and n.d.

Series V: Publications, 1967-1993

Custodial History

Previously, separate accession lots from Zakia were each given their own resource identifier; in December 2024, the decision was made for all Richard Zakia-created materials (with the same provenance) to be combined into one collection. These included:

• Richard Zakia collection (previously RITArc-0746), Accession # 2009:012, received in February 1999 from Richard Zakia;

• Richard Zakia correspondence collection (previously RITArc-0770), legacy files, likely received in 1999 from Zakia;

• Richard Zakia collection on Ted Serios (previously RITArc-0018), Accession # 2002:031, received in December 2002 from Zakia;

• Richard Zakia collection on Rudolf Arnheim (previously RITArc-0017), Accession # 2005:005, received in February 2005 from Zakia;

• Richard Zakia collection on Barbara Morgan (previously RITArc-0143), Accession # 2005:018, received in March 2005 from Zakia;

• Richard Zakia collection on Minor White (previously RITArc-0669), Accession # 2010:089, received in 2010 from Zakia;

• Richard Zakia poster collection (previously listed as RITArc-0746), likely received in 1999 from Richard Zakia.

• Unprocessed Zakia accessions Acc# 2002:010 and 2010:039, likely received in 2002 and 2010 respectively from Richard Zakia.

Revision Note

Previously, separate accession lots from Zakia were each given their own resource identifier; in December 2024, the decision was made for all Richard Zakia-created materials (with the same provenance) to be combined into one collection. (The earlier resource identifiers are indicated in the Custodial History note but are now rendered defunct.)

Processed by

Original processing on disparate resources in this collection previously done by Jennifer Roeszies, Jody Sidlauskas, Landyn Hatch, and Lara Nicosia between 2011 and 2023. Revisions by Julia Novakovic, December 2024-January 2025.

Related Names

Subject

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Finding Aid to the Richard D. Zakia Papers, 1921-2010
Author
Julia Novakovic
Date
29 January 2025
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the RIT Archives Repository

http://archives.rit.edu
Contact:
Rochester NY 14623 USA