Primary Name: Davis, Trevor P. Montgomery
Filed as: davis_trevor_p_montgomery
Also known as: Trevor P. Davis, Trevor Davis
Occupation / Association: Photographer; Boat Operator; Business Owner; Charter Member, Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6
Born: 1892, Alameda, California
Died: 1990, Juneau, Alaska
Parents:
Spouse: Carol Beery Davis
Children: Sylvia Davis, Shirley Davis, Constance Davis, Patte Davis
Associated places: Juneau Alaska, Alameda California, Seattle Washington, San Francisco California
Keywords: Trevor P Montgomery Davis, Trevor Davis photographer, Snap Shoppe Juneau, Juneau photographers, Here and There in Southeast Alaska
Biography
Trevor P. Montgomery Davis was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6, where he served a term as Secretary.
Davis was born in 1892 in Alameda, California, where his mother, Frances, went for the birth. Within three months, the family returned to Juneau. At the age of twelve, he began working on the Davis properties.
In 1910, he purchased a sailboat and converted it to a gas boat in partnership with his brother Cedric. In 1914, the brothers traded the small boat for the Cordelia D and began operating a charter business for hunting and cruising. Trevor earned an operator's and pilot’s license for a 100-ton vessel and, in 1917, completed the requirements for an engineer’s license at the Duthrie Shipyards in Seattle, Washington.
He later joined the United States Navy and was stationed at Bremerton, Washington; San Diego, California; and the Great Lakes Naval Station in Chicago, Illinois.
Photography became a major interest for Davis beginning in 1912 when he acquired his first camera. He developed a technique for oil-tinting enlarged photographs and sold his work at the Nugget Shop and other gift stores in Juneau in June. Established photographers Winter & Pond and Case & Draper encouraged him and provided photographs and advice.
In 1921, Davis exhibited his photographs in San Francisco, and in 1926, he published a booklet of his early images titled Here and There in Southeast Alaska.
Trevor was one of seven members of the committee that selected the Alaska state flag and voted for the design that was ultimately adopted in 1927.
He was also a charter member of the American Legion and the Juneau Yacht Club. As a member of the Juneau Chamber of Commerce for forty-eight years, he promoted numerous civic projects, including the development of Juneau’s first small boat harbor and breakwater. Davis also wrote articles about his experiences in Southeast Alaska for newspapers and magazines.
In the spring of 1921, he met Carol Beery, who had come to Juneau and was searching for the wild violets displayed in shop windows. Davis offered to show her where they grew. The trip involved traveling aboard the Cordelia D and reaching Sheep Creek Basin via the Thane tramway. The excursion began a romance, and the two were married in 1922. They raised four daughters: Sylvia, Shirley, Connie, and Patte.
In 1934, Davis opened a photographic business on Seward Street where he developed, printed, and tinted photographs. He became an Eastman Kodak dealer, and the Snap Shoppe operated successfully for twenty-five years. One of his well-known photographs, Juneau’s Harbor Lights, required a one-hour exposure on a clear night in 1942. When a passing fishing boat disturbed the reflection, he was forced to repeat the entire exposure to achieve the desired image.
His work emphasized contrasts and composition, particularly winter light and shadow. As photography evolved, he expanded from black-and-white images to color photography and accumulated an extensive collection of slides and films. Many friends and community members attended his public presentations. While working for Prince William Sound Canneries, he filmed salmon runs and bears on color motion picture film.
After retiring from the photography business, Davis developed the Pinewood Park subdivision. He and his wife later piloted their boat, the Sylvita, to the Seattle World’s Fair, where they joined family and friends.
In his later years, he traveled widely, including a trip across the eastern United States with a Tlingit dance group during the U.S. Bicentennial, journeys across Alaska during the state’s Centennial celebration, visits to relatives on the West Coast, and travel in the South Pacific.
Davis later authored a pictorial history of the city titled Looking Back on Juneau – The First Hundred Years.
Trevor Davis died at the Pioneers’ Home in Juneau in 1990 at the age of ninety-seven and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery. He was survived by his wife and daughters, Sylvia, Shirley, and Constance.
Sources
Gastineau Channel Memories 1880-1959, p.119
Tags: Trevor P Montgomery Davis, Trevor Davis, Davis Trevor, Juneau photographers, Snap Shoppe Juneau, Juneau Men's Igloo No 6, Alaska flag committee, Juneau Yacht Club, American Legion Juneau