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In achieving her status as one of the world's ten leading wildlife photographers,
the late Thase Daniel, a 1927 graduate of Ouachita, found her subjects as
nearby as the Arkansas wetlands and as far away as Africa, Antarctica, the
Galapagos Islands, Greenland, India, Nepal, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand,
Sri Lanka and South America.
Mrs. Daniel's fascination with outdoor photography began in the 1930s with
a failed attempt at taking a picture of a Steller's jay. She began studying
works of wildlife photographers and put technique into practice by taking
pictures of birds near her home.
Later, her photography took Mrs. Daniel on numerous adventures. She went
on a two-week expedition by dogsled across the Greenland icecap, rode an
elephant across a river in India, and suffered a broken ankle when attacked
by a 600-pound bull sea lion.
Since that first unhappy encounter with a Steller's jay, her pictures have
sold to collectors and leading magazines such as Ranger Rick and Field and
Stream. The pinnacle of her accomplishments came with the 1984 publication
of "her" book, Wings on the Southwind, which featured her photographs
of Southern flora and fauna.
The Thase Daniel Collection represents not only some of the world's best
wildlife photography but also nature in its purest form. Some of the scenes
from across the globe which are captured here no longer exist and will not
return in their natural state.
The collection includes more than 57,000 slides and forty-six books of extensive
field notes which give careful background to the shots. Whether it's a water
lily floating atop an Arkansas pond, bears fighting in an Alaskan river,
or palm trees against a cloudy Tahitian sky, each picture is captivating
and encompasses a wealth of information. These images represent the best
of more than a quarter-million slides taken during her career.
The work demonstrates Thase Daniel's musical sense of harmony and composition.
It shows her capturing the significance and beauty of even the seemingly
insignificant and unlovely. Her meticulous field notes illustrate the self-discipline
necessary in any endeavor. Her entire method of capturing nature on film
reflects a belief in trusting one's self rather than gimmicks and technology.
The collection was donated to OBU shortly before Mrs. Daniel's death in
1990.
Contact Us
Jacynda Ammons
OBU Box 3729
Arkadelphia, AR 71998
ammonsj@obu.edu
870.245.5332
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