Finding Aid to Clare Phinney's Snaps of San Francisco Photograph Album 1904 SFP 117
Finding aid composed by Norman Yee
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
2023
Contributing Institution:
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 557-4567
sfhistory@sfpl.org
Title: Clare Phinney's Snaps of San Francisco Photograph Album
Creator:
Phinney, Clare
Identifier/Call Number: SFP 117
Physical Description:
1 photograph album with 30 photographic prints; album 5.5 x 7 inches, prints 3.5 x 4.5 inches
(1 album)
Date: c. 1904
Abstract: The photograph album assembled by Clare Phinney consists of 25 brown-toned early gelatin silver photographic prints of Golden
Gate Park and San Francisco scenes from 1904.
Physical Location: The collection is stored onsite.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English.
The collection is available for use during Photo Desk hours.
No copyright clearance needed as photographs in the photograph album are in the Public Domain.
[Identification of item], Clare Phinney's Snaps of San Francisco Photograph Album (SFP 117), San Francisco History Center,
San Francisco Public Library.
Gift of Lissa McKee. 2019.
Clare Phinney was born on April 15, 1888 in Sacramento, California to George and Kate Phinney. Clare was schooled in Sacramento
until she attended Miss Heads in Oakland. In 1909 she traveled to Asia, staying primarily in China with friends before continuing
to Europe for several months. She married Charles Bradford McKee on September 9, 1912. They had four children during their
marriage. Clare died on July 4, 1970 in Sacramento, California at the age of 82. She left a large collection of family photographs
and letters dating back to the 1850s from her grandfather, who arrived in California in 1852.
Clare Phinney assembled the photo album but is not the photographer. Photographer unknown.
The photograph album assembled by Clare Phinney consists of 25 brown-toned early gelatin silver photographic prints of Golden
Gate Park and San Francisco scenes from 1904. Most of the photographs are of Golden Gate Park and includes many buildings
and sites which no longer exist in the present day, such as the Panorama on Strawberry Hill, original de Young Museum, Deer
Park and Japanese Tea Garden. The album also includes other San Francisco scenes; the third Cliff House and Mission Dolores;
nautical scenes presumed to be on San Francisco Bay; the Top of Mt. Tamalpais. Additionally, there are three group photographs
of Asian-American children with the following captions: "Sam Kees Cherubs," "May," and "Native Sons." The photographs appear
to be a combination of amateur pictures and commercial photographs by studios such as the Pillsbury Picture Company, J. B.
Moller, and Willard E. Worden. Some of the commercial photographs have titles and/or captions in the print. The remaining
photographs are accompanied by hand-written captions. The cover is titled "Snaps." The inscription "Best Wishes / Christmas
1904" is written inside the front cover.
This album is arranged one photograph to a page on black album paper, all with captions below.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Golden Gate Park (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Pictorial works.
Golden Gate Park (San Francisco, Calif.).
Photographic prints.
Photograph albums.
Snapshots
Amateur works