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Photographs of the California Missions by William Henry Jackson: Finding
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photCL 444
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Title: Photographs of the California Missions by William Henry Jackson
Dates (inclusive): approximately 1885-1890
Collection Number: photCL 444
Creator:
Jackson, William Henry, 1843-1942
Extent:
39 albumen photographs 17.8 x 23.5 cm. (7 x 9 ¼ in.), on mounts measuring 20 x 25.5 cm. (8 x 10 in.)
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Photo Archives
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: A collection of albumen photographs of 12 California Missions, taken by nineteenth-century photographer William Henry Jackson
sometime between 1885 and 1890.
One or more images of the following missions are included: San Antonio de Padua, San Carlos Borroméo de Carmel, San Diego
de Alcalá,
San Fernando Rey, San Francisco de Asís, San Gabriel Arcángel, San Juan Bautista, San Juan Capistrano, San Luis Rey, San Miguel
Arcángel,
Santa Barbara and Santa Ines. The photographs primarily show the missions’ front façades or courtyards, both in ruins and
with slight repair work.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Photographs of the California Missions by William Henry Jackson. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Gift of Kenneth Hill in April 2001.
William Henry Jackson was born April 4, 1843, in Keeseville, New York. While growing up, Jackson taught himself how to
paint and draw; at the age of 15, he was first exposed to photography through a job he took at a local photographer's studio.
After serving in the Civil War, he went to Omaha,
Nebraska, to help run a photography studio with his brothers.
In 1869, Jackson was approached by Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, the head of the United States Geological Survey of the Territories,
who asked Jackson to join his team. Jackson did so, and
for the next seven years took photographs of hot springs, geysers, and mineral formations in the territory that is now Yellowstone
National Park. After this project, Jackson began to take
photographs of landmarks along the Union Pacific Railroad to sell to tourists.
At some point between 1885 and 1890, Jackson traveled to California and took photographs of the California missions, which
were then in ruins and being viewed in a romantic light as part
of California's mythic past. To cater to tourists, Jackson photographed most, if not all, of the missions and sold them to
the steady stream of sightseers.
At the age of 81, Jackson swapped photography for painting, focusing on the development of the American West as his subjects.
He died on June 30, 1942, in New York City at the age of 99.
Scope and Content of Collection
A collection of 39 albumen photographs of 12 California Missions, taken by nineteenth-century photographer William Henry
Jackson sometime between 1885 and 1890.
All of the photographs are titled and signed, "W.H.J. & Co." One or more images of the following missions are included: San
Antonio de Padua, San Carlos
Borroméo de Carmel, San Diego de Alcalá, San Fernando Rey, San Francisco de Asís, San Gabriel Arcángel, San Juan Bautista,
San Juan Capistrano, San Luis Rey,
San Miguel Arcángel, Santa Barbara and Santa Ines. The photographs primarily show the missions' front façades or courtyards,
both in ruins and with slight repair work.
The California Missions were a favored subject for photographers at the turn of the nineteenth century. Jackson, like many
of his contemporaries, capitalized
on the romantic interest in the ruins, and took photographs to sell to tourists. While the photographs are primarily artistic
works of the architecture alone,
a few photographs have people in them. Of note is (11), taken at San Juan Bautista, where a photographer can be seen on the
left with his large-format camera,
setting up his own shot.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
California missions -- Photographs.
Mission San Carlos Borromeo (Carmel, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel (San Gabriel, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Mission San Juan Capistrano -- Photographs.
Mission San Miguel Arcangel (San Miguel, Calif.) -- Photographs.
San Antonio de Pádua (Mission) -- Photographs.
San Diego Mission -- Photographs.
San Fernando, Rey de España (Mission : San Fernando, Calif.) -- Photographs.
San Francisco de Asís Mission (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Photographs.
San Juan Bautista (Mission : San Juan Bautista, Calif.) -- Photographs.
San Luis Rey Mission (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Santa Barbara Mission -- Photographs.
Santa Inés Mission (Solvang, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Albumen prints.
Architectural photographs.
Photographs.