Frederick (Fred) Wallace Kent – February 3, 1894 – July 17, 1984 – photographed everyday scenes and the extraordinary in Iowa City for 70+ years. He holds the honor of first recipient of the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission Award (1984) for documenting the growth of the area through his photographs. On this page we want to offer you a small sampling of his classic works. Read more about Fred W. Kent here.
For U of I 175th Anniversary in 2022 – Fred Kent’s 1925 photo of the Pentacrest was colorized.
1915 – SUI Coeds relaxing on University Square (left), Old Capitol (right).
1920’s – Fred even took pictures of Iowa City from the air!
Fred took most of the early photos of Iowa Field – here’s a shot of the “Yell Leaders” in 1920.
In 1928, when the University relocated its main hospital from Iowa Avenue in downtown Iowa City to the west side of the Iowa River, Fred Kent was there taking pictures all the way (See more here). The first known photographs of the iconic SUI Gothic Tower (above) were taken by Kent, while (below) Fred also captured some of the artwork created in 1928 for the hospital’s dedication (Read more here).
1930’s – Pearson’s Drug Store on the corner of Linn & Market Streets (left), Varsity Cleaner delivery service (right).
1930’s – Women’s Rifle Team (left), ROTC Band leaders at Old Capitol (right).
(P-0367) (P-0368) Classic Kent shots of Iowa City’s City Hall and the Rock Island RR Depot.
(L-0123) This Fred Kent classic features two SUI nursing students in 1935 celebrating their graduation!
1940’s – Homecoming Parade on Clinton Street (left), WSUI Radio Broadcast (right).
1950’s – Of course – no collection of Fred W. Kent photos could be complete with a few shots of Herky the Hawk.
1950’s – Downtown Iowa City.
(Above left) November 1963 – President Kennedy Memorial Service, (Above right) April 1968 – Martin Luther King Memorial Service. Read more here.
Click here to read more about this iconic moment of mourning and other events like it…
A good portion of Fred’s photograph collection was transferred to the University of Iowa Archives and his meticulously labeled collection of family albums, travel albums, nature scenes, audio tapes, negatives, letters, diaries and his camera collection were all donated to the State Historical Society.
Click here to see more of Fred W. Kent’s classics via Flicker.
There are two iconic photos from 1963 & 1968 that stand out amongst many. Click here to see them.
PW-January 5, 2025
DYK-July 12, 2023
DYK-October 1, 2023
Kudos to the amazing resources below for the many quotes, photographs, etc. used on this page.
Frederick W. Kent Photograph Collection, Iowa Digital Library, University of Iowa Libraries
Frederick W. Kent Photographs of Old Capitol 1920-1927, University of Iowa Digital Library
A Nod to Quad, Sara Epstein Moninger, University of Iowa – Iowa Now, May 17, 2016
Old Gold Through Fred Kent’s Lens: Images of UI History, David McCartney, The Spectator, May 2010
The Man Behind the Camera: Fred W. Kent, Mary Bennett, The Palimpsest 75(3), 1994, pp102-131
Memorial Service for Martin Luther King, Jr. photo (1968), Fred Kent, Facing East and Facing West – Iowa’s Old Capitol Museum, Linzie Kull McCray & Thomas Langdon (2007) University of Iowa Press, p 12
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