Frank (Tico) Herrera, Photographer, Photographic Negatives, Prints, and Other Material
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 4747
The papers of Frank 'Tico' Herrera document his photographic career and creative output. The collection consists primarily of photographic prints and negatives created by Herrera, reflecting his artistic interests, photographic techniques, and subject matter over the course of his career. These materials provide evidence of Herrera’s work as a photographer and offer insight into his visual style and professional practice.
Subjects of his photography include: landscapes of West Virginia, Maryland, California, Italy, the Faroe Islands, Ireland, and other locations globally; portraits; and aircraft.
Also included are photographic prints by other photographers, which may represent professional collaborations, artistic influences, or materials Herrera collected for reference or personal interest. This portion of the collection includes alternative photo processes like cyanotypes, tintypes, and daguerreotypes.
Boxes 24b and 25d contain nude photographs. Boxes 7 and 8 were removed, materials were added to Box 3.
Researchers may access digitized/digital materials by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Reproductions can only be authorized for non-commercial purposes. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Frank P. ('Tico') Herrera (1940 November 9 – 2021 February 6) was born in Beckley, West Virginia, to Mary Betty Parker and Francisco Herrera y Sánchez. After a brief career as a Spanish instructor, Herrera became a full‑time photographer in 1970 and remained active in the field until his death.
He taught at Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, WV, and the Corcoran School of Art and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Herrera was also a founding member of Photoworks, a National Park Service program in Glen Echo, Maryland. There, he developed and implemented an innovative creative photography program emphasizing public access to the arts.
In 1985, Herrera was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Cross‑Reference, a body of work that documents the landscape of West Virginia within the context of a cluster of three crosses erected throughout the East Coast. He was also the recipient of the Governor’s Award in the West Virginia Juried Exhibition. His photographs are held in major museum collections, including the National Museum of American Art, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the West Virginia Permanent Collection.
Text from:
14.63 Linear Feet (6 document cases, 5 in. each; 1 document cases, 2.5 in. each; 7 record cartons, 15 in. each; 2 flat storage boxes, 1 in. each; 12 flat storage boxes, 3 in. each. ) : 28 boxes total
15.7 Gigabytes (7830 digital files)
English
Papers of Frank Herrera, photographer. Materials include photographic prints, contact sheets, and negatives taken by Herrera, photographic prints by other photographers, and assorted ephemera regarding Herrera's career.
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Gift from Rinehart, Rebecca, 2021 July 16.
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository