Jesten-Miller Studio portrait of unidentified children. Willamette Heritage Center 2015.066.0338.

Jesten-Miller Studio (1934-1973)

The Jesten-Miller Studio started out as the in-store studio for Miller’s Department Store (located in the Reed Opera House Building) in Salem.  Joan Jesten (later Poole) arrived in Salem to manage the studio in June 1933.  She is advertised as an employee of Miller’s until May 1934, when she buys the studio from the store and renames it Jesten-Miller Studio. In October 1936, the studio remodels and reopens and introduces a new partner in the business Nels Tonning.

In 1946 Joan Jesten left the company, which continued to operate with her name in the business title.  Nels Tonning died in 1953.  His wife continued the business until the Miller Department Store closed 1973 and she decided to retire.  At that time, she transferred the negatives of the firm to the McEwan Photo Studio.

Associated photographers:

Joan Jesten
Nels Tonning
Olga Tonning

Predecessor:

Miller Mercantile Photo Studio (c. 1933-)

Successor:

McEwan Photo Studio

Collections:

The Willamette Heritage Center has about 20 cubic feet of unprocessed materials from the Jesten-Miller Studio dated c. 1940-1973.  WHC Collections 2006.006.

Access:

The collection has not been processed.  An indexing project was started in July 2024 to help provide access to the images in this collection, which are currently stored in negative number order.  While there are some accompanying documentation (mostly handwritten photo registry books organized by year) there is not yet a comprehensive index to help identify whose portraits are represented in this collection.  We will post updates to the indexing project here as they are available.

Studio History Sources and Transcription:

Note there is a lot of conflicting and wrong information in later source materials about the founding of the firm.  Above appears to be the best summary based on ALL of the source material available.

“To Manage Studio.” Oregon Statesman 28 June 1933 pg 5 (Newspapers.com)

Miss Joan Jesten has come from Seattle to take charge of the photographic studio at the Miller Mercantile Company.  Miss Jesten has been connected with the Markham studios in Seattle and Portland for some years and will manage the local studio.

ADVERTISEMENT Capital Journal13 Sept 1933 pg. 10 (Newspapers.com)

Joan Jesten Outstanding young artist in charge of Miller’s Popular Studio.

ADVERTISEMENT Oregon Statesman 05 Nov 1933 pg. 6 (Newspapers.com)

Be photographed by Joan Jesten.  Miller’s Studio

“Employees of Miller’s Salem, Oregon” Capital Journal 26 Oct 1933 pg. 5 (Newspapers.com)

Joan Jesten, Photo Studio.

1934 Salem City Directory (Ancestry)

Jetson, Joan, Photographer, resides 501 N Winter

“Joan Jestin Buys Photograph Studio” Capital Journal 04 May 1934 (Newspapers.com)

With the acquisition of the lease and entire studio fixtures and equipment, Miss Joan Jesten [sic] now becomes sole owner of one of Salem’s up to the minute photo studios.

Complete photography, from camera to finishing including her specialties, sketching, crayon and oil coloring, will be handled by Miss Jesten.  Her special studio camera for home portrait work and outside work are of the best obtainable for this class of work.  Many of the portraits lately displayed in metropolitan newspapers were made by Miss Jesten.

Department store studios are not the latest of innovations, says Miss Jesten, large city stores have had them for years.

Prior to coming to Salem, Miss Jesten conducted a Markham studio in Seattle.

“Hal Jimmy Cuffel Prize Winner” Oregon Statesman 24 Jun 1934 pg 7 (Newspapers.com)

An exhibit in Miller’s department store window which has excited comment the past week is that of the prize-winning children entered in the studio’s photography contest….The photos taken by Miss Joan Jestin were judged….

“Pictures in Ads Subject of Talk.” Oregon Statesman 10 Nov 1934 pg 3 (Newspapers.com)

The place of photography in advertising was discussed by Miss Joan Jestin, of the Miller-Jestin studio before the Salem Ad club which met at the Jennie Lind res-

ADVERTISEMENT Capital Journal 16 Oct 1936 pg 16 (Newspapers.com)

The newly decorated JESTEN-MILLER Studio at Miller’s Holds open House Saturday.  The newly remodeled and redecorated studio of Jesten-Miller cordially invites you to visit through and inspect the many modern and convenient features arranged expressly for their patrons and to meet Mr. Nels Tonning, a new member affiliated with the Jesten-Miller firm, who comes to Salem with a fine reputation as a portrait artist….

“Jesten-Miller to Have reopening.” Capital Journal 16 Oct 1963 pg 14 (Newspapers.com)

The Jesten-Miller studio at the Miller Mercantile company will have a grand reopening Saturday after undergoing extensive redecoration of the studio on the mezzanine floor.

The walls are done in a soft cream….

Miss Joan Jesten, who has operated the studio for the past several years, announces that Nels Tonning of Tacoma, prominently known photographer, is a new member of her firm.

Mr. Tonning, who won a splendid reputation in Norway for his photographic art, was connected with the Smith Studio in Tacoma and has done some exceptionally fine work in all branches of photography.

“Salem Studio Named Official Photographer” Capital Journal21 Jul 1938 pg 5 (Newspapers.com)

Mt. Angel – The Jesten-Miller studio of Salem has been appointed official photographer for the Flax Festival, which will be held at Mt. Angel August 12, 13, 14.  Joan Poole, manager of the firm and according to Sam Sloucum, festival director, one of the outstanding photographic artists in the northwest, will personally take all pictures of the celebration as well as the preliminary publicity photographs to be used prior to the festival…..

“Nels Tonning Succumbs to Brief Illness” Oregon Statesman 07 Feb 1953 pg 1 (Newspapers.com)

Nels Tonning, 46, well-known Oregon photographer and owner of the Jesten-Miller Studio here died Friday in a local hospital.  He was stricken with illness Sunday.

Tonning was born in Norway Jan 8, 1907 and first came to this country in 1927. He operated studios in Tacoma, Wash., before coming here.

In 1935 he and Mrs. Joan Jesten Poole became partners in the Jesten-Miller Studio.  When Mrs. Poole left in 1946, Tonning operated the studio as sole owner….

1971 Salem City Directory (Ancestry.com)

Jesten-Miller Portrait Studio (Mrs. Olga A. Tonning) 189 Liberty ST Ne

“Soroptimists Maintain Business Ethics.” Capital Journal17 Oct 1972 pg 51 (Newspapers.com)

Mrs. Olga Tonning Jesten Miller Studios

Gangware, Robert E. “Maybe it is Just ‘So Long’ For Miller’s salem Store.” Oregon Statesman 17 Jan 1973 pg 2 (Newspapers.com)

Closure of Miller’s Department Store next month will remove one of Salem’s oldest retail firms form the downtown business scene…

Jesten-Miller Studio will go out of business at the end of this month and its operator Mrs. Olga Tonning will retire.  She said Tuesday she has arranged with the McEwan Photo Shop, 245 High ST NE, for the filing of Jesten-Miller negatives from which customers can reorder. Mrs. Tonning and her late husband Nels opened their studio in 1936.  Then it was on a little balcony over the section of Miller’s main floor that is now the shoe department.

“Department store to close; in business here 53 years.” Capital Journal 17 Jan 1973 pg 17 (Newspapers.com)

Two other business subleasing from Hirsch will be affected by closure of Miller’s.  They are Jesten-Miller Photography Studio and Mrs. Robert Mill’s dressmaking shop, which have been on the Salem business scene for many years.

Mrs. Olga Tonning, who operates Jesten-Miller, said she will close the studio and retire at the end of the month.  Arrangements have bene made with McEwan Photo Shop, 245 High St Ne where Jesten Miller customers can reorder negatives.

Jesten-Miller has been operating in Salem since 1936, when Mrs. Tonning and her husband Nels, opened their studio no a small balcony overlooking the main section of Miller’s….

“SOS” Oregon Statesman 10 Oct 1973 pg 14 (Ancestry.com)

The Jesten-Miller Studio closed when the Miller store ceased business.  The studio owner, Mrs. Olga Tonning, now helps out at times at McEwan’s Studio.

1975 Salem City Directory (Ancestry.com)

No Jesten-Miller

McEwan Photo Shops Inc. N. Morrell Crary…

Irene (widow Robert)

1978 Salem City Directory (Ancestry.com)

No Jesten-Miller Studio

McEwan Photo Shops Inc.  N. Morrell Crary. President, Jeannie Crary Williams, Vice President, Gertrude E. Crary Secretary-treasurer;  Portrait and Commercial Photography…..456 High ST NE

McEwan, Irene (Widow Rob.) ret. h 1560 19th Street

“Margaret Joan Poole” Statesman Journal 14 Feb. 1984 pg. 12 (Newspapers.com)

Margaret Joan Poole, 74, of Prineville, died Saturday.

She was born in Tacoma and lived in Salem from 1940 to 1983, when she moved to Prineville.  She was a photographer for a number of years with the firm founded by her father, Jesten-Miller Photography, Salem, and later was a sales clerk with Meier & Frank Co.  She was a member of the Salem First Christian Church and formerly was secretary of the Sons of Norway Lodge…

Note inaccurate information.  The father of Margaret Joan Jesten Poole – Theodore Jesten – lived in Tacoma until at least 1935 (see 1940 US Federal Census) at least a year after Joan is identified as taking over the photography business in Salem.  He could not have helped her found the studio in person at least.