William S. Hart (1864-1946) Collection, ca. 1890s-1940s

Title: William S. Hart (1864-1946) Collection, ca. 1890s-1940s

Dates: 1867-1949

Collection Number: P-075

Creator/Collector: Hart, William S. (William Surrey), 1864-1946

Extent: 40 linear feet

Repository: Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Abstract: Photographs, negatives and film reels collected by silent screen cowboy star William Surrey Hart. Includes film stills; publicity portraits; pictures of family, friends and animals; and ranch views. The William S. Hart Ranch and Museum is located in Newhall, California. It is a part of the Natural History Family along with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, of which the latter two museums are in Los Angeles, California. Select images have been added to the online digital gallery at https://collections.nhm.org/seaver-center/.

Language of Material: English

Research is by appointment only

Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder

William S. Hart (1864-1946) Collection, ca. 1890s-1940s. Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

William Surrey Hart (1864-1946) achieved fame and fortune by producing and starring in over 70 silent films in the Western film genre. He retired to his Horseshoe Ranch in Newhall, California in 1925, and his hilltop mansion was completed two years later. After his death, his property was bequeathed to the County of Los Angeles for use as a public park and museum.

Photographs, negatives and film reels collected by silent screen cowboy star William Surrey Hart. Stills from Hart films; actors and actresses, including his leading ladies; portraits of Hart in his youth, his early years in New York theater and throughout his film career in Hollywood. Non-Western publicity portraits and numerous Western portraits including the iconic "Two-Gun Bill" pose. Photographs of Hart with others; family photographs of his sister Mary Ellen and son William Hart, Jr.; and fellow actors, co-stars, and friends including artist Charles M. Russell. Views of the Hart ranch in Newhall produced on contact prints: the construction of his house and after completion; the grounds; and informal shots of Hart with others. Other subject matters in the collection include Hart with his favorite horse and movie star in his own right, Fritz; the publicity tour of 1917; and the 1918 Liberty Loan Drive. The William S. Hart Ranch and Museum is located in Newhall, California. It is a part of the Natural History Family along with the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, of which the latter two museums are in Los Angeles, California. ca. 1867-1949 (bulk is 1890-1949). Part of the William Surrey Hart Papers (Gen. Col. 1012). See also: P-20.1, P-98 (William S. Hart County Park Research Files.) See also GC1192, GC1353, MSS-247, MSS-251, MSS-575. Select images have been added to the online digital gallery at https://collections.nhm.org/seaver-center/.