Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140
MS 661
Michael P. Harker (1950- )
Photographs, 1993-2001, undated
Descriptive summary
| creator: | Harker, Michael P. (1950- ) |
| title: | Photographs |
| dates: | 1993-2001, undated |
| extent: | 1.67 linear feet (1 oversize box) |
| collection number: | MS 661 |
| repository: | Special Collections Department, Iowa State University. |
Administrative information
| access: | Open for research |
| publication rights: | The copyright for these images remains with the photographer, Michael Harker. For scholarly publications, consult Head, Special Collections and University Archives. |
| preferred citation: | Michael P. Harker Photographs, MS 661, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library. |
| restrictions: | To order reproductions for personal or other use, patrons will need to contact Michael Harker directly. Consult Special Collections and University Archives staff for more information. |
Biographical note
Michael P. Harker was born April 3, 1950, in Moline, Illinois. His photographic career began in 1971 while stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. There he learned darkroom techniques from Hans Jurgen-Heider, a German professional photographer. Several of Harker’s early photographs were published in U.S. Army newspapers. Harker received an A.S. (1973) in arts and biology from Black Hawk College in Moline, Illinois. His B.S. (1976) in professional photography was earned at Southern Illinois University. He also studied administrative management at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1989. In 1976, he began his professional photography career doing custom photo lab work. He has worked as a freelance commercial photographer and as an in-house photographer for companies in Illinois and Iowa, including Deere and Company (Moline, Illinois) and Rockwell Collins Avionics and Communications Division (now Rockwell Collins, Inc., in Cedar Rapids, Iowa). In 1997, he began his current job as an ophthalmic photographer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Harker has been a fine arts photographer since 1973. In 1993 he began a series of photographs of barns in Iowa. In the course of researching this subject he discovered that close to a thousand Iowa barns were being destroyed each year due to various causes, and he decided to embark on a serious documentary of the barns. In addition to photographing as many barns as possible, he has given lectures and has mounted exhibits of his photographs. One exhibit was purchased by Humanities Iowa to serve as a permanent traveling exhibit; this exhibit was also shown in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s exhibit "Barn Again!" at locations in Iowa. In 2003, University of Iowa Press published Harker’s Barns: Visions of an American Icon, highlighting a selection of his art photographs and including text by poet Jim Heynen. Harker married Theresa A. Schafer-Harker in 1986. They have one daughter. Michael Harker lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. |
Collection description
The collection contains master prints of the seventy-six photographs used in the book Harker’s Barns: Visions of an American Icon (Special Collections TR659 H373 2003). These photographs were taken in various locations in Iowa between 1993 and 2001. The black and white master prints are silver gelatin photographic prints, each measuring 11"x14". Supplementary items include Harker’s resume, a sequential listing of photographs from the book, and a color photograph (8.5"x12") of Harker. |
Organization
The photographs are arranged in the sequence used in the book. The supplementary material is filed before the photographs. |
Container list
Box |
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
1 |
1 |
Michael P. Harker resume |
undated |
1 |
2 |
Photograph: Michael P. Harker |
undated |
1 |
3 |
Sequential listing of photographs used in book |
undated |
1 |
4 |
White Barns and Hay Bales - Bennett, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
5 |
Wickfield Sales Pavilion - Cantril, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
6 |
Cows and Barn - Bertram, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
7 |
Before the Demolition - Newhall, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
8 |
Limestone Barn - Charles City, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
9 |
Barn and Windmill no. 2 - Chelsea, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
10 |
Barn and Windmill - Mechanicsville, Iowa |
1998 |
1 |
11 |
Corn Crib and Fence - Newhall, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
12 |
Detail of Corn Crib - Canaan Township, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
13 |
Windmills - Clutier, Iowa |
1993 |
1 |
14 |
Silos - Martelle, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
15 |
Cows and Barn no. 2 - West Branch, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
16 |
Corn Crib and Wagon - Wapello, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
17 |
The West Façade - East Amana, Iowa |
1997 |
1 |
18 |
Interior Y-beams - Mt. Vernon, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
19 |
Goddess of Barns - Millville, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
20 |
Grain Elevator - Amana, Iowa |
1995 |
1 |
21 |
Barn Façade with Berm and Silo - Dubuque, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
22 |
Octagon with Cupola - Downey, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
23 |
Round Barn with Silo - Dysart, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
24 |
Hand-Pump on Farm - Clutier, Iowa |
1994 |
1 |
25 |
Corn Crib - Riverside, Iowa |
1998 |
1 |
26 |
Silos and Tractor - Clutier, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
27 |
Horse Barn - Bennett, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
28 |
Horse Barn no. 1 - Ely, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
29 |
Cow Barn no. 2 - High Amana, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
30 |
Elevators - Downey, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
31 |
Kevin Doyle’s Corn Crib - Monticello, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
32 |
Barn and Shrubs - Nichols, Iowa |
1998 |
1 |
33 |
Baby Barns - Chickasaw County, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
34 |
Barn with Silo and Outbuilding - Marion, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
35 |
Waves of Grain - Mt. Vernon, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
36 |
Barn and Fence - West Amana, Iowa |
1998 |
1 |
37 |
Juxtaposition with Silo - Solon, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
38 |
Lone Tree Elevator - Lone Tree, Iowa |
1998 |
1 |
39 |
Façade with White Window - Mechanicsvile, Iowa |
1998 |
1 |
40 |
Fuller’s Barn - Solon, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
41 |
Barn and Bush - Jones County, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
42 |
Barn and Vents - East Amana, Iowa |
1998 |
1 |
43 |
Roof and Cupola - Linn County, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
44 |
1870 Era Barn - Dubuque, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
45 |
Canfield’s Round Barn - Dunkerton, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
46 |
Long Barn - North Liberty, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
47 |
Barn and Trees - Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
48 |
Barn with Firewood - Dubuque, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
49 |
Cow Barn Interior - Mt. Vernon, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
50 |
Barn and Vines - West Amana, Iowa |
1997 |
1 |
51 |
Façade 1884 - Wellman, Iowa |
1998 |
1 |
52 |
South Façade no. 3 - Monticello, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
53 |
Barn with Small Windows - Eldridge, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
54 |
Ely Grain Elevator - Ely, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
55 |
Corn Crib and Silos - Mt. Vernon, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
56 |
Double Barn - Jesup, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
57 |
Classic Barn no. 2 - Chelsea, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
58 |
Barn with Feeding Horse - Tipton, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
59 |
Corn Crib in Open Field - Benton County, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
60 |
Barn with Cupola and Ladders - Dubuque, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
61 |
Classic Barn - Linn County, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
62 |
Crossed Doors and Fence - Wapello, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
63 |
Horse Barn with Cupolas - Marengo, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
64 |
Jim Hundley’s Round Barn - Waverly, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
65 |
Barn and Silo - Grundy Center, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
66 |
Barn Detail no. 1 - Linn County, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
67 |
Corn Crib - West Amana, Iowa |
1995 |
1 |
68 |
Barn and Shed - Mt. Vernon, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
69 |
Hay Barn on Stilts - Morning Sun, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
70 |
Barn with Crossed Doors - Solon, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
71 |
Limestone Barn no. 2 - Cedar Falls, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
72 |
Support Beams - Washington, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
73 |
Barn with Cross of Lights - Walker, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
74 |
Field and Barn - Tipton, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
75 |
Tractors - West Amana, Iowa |
1995 |
1 |
76 |
Barn in Cornfield - La Porte City, Iowa |
2000 |
1 |
77 |
Barn Ark - Jones County, Iowa |
1999 |
1 |
78 |
Interior - Linn County, Iowa |
2001 |
1 |
79 |
White Barn no. 1 in Snow - Dubuque, Iowa |
1999 |