Charles Victor Hall Lantern Slide Collection of California Views: Finding
Aid
Finding aid prepared by Michelle Sanchez.
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
© 2013
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Overview of the Collection
Title: Charles Victor Hall Lantern Slide Collection of California Views
Dates (inclusive): approximately 1875
Collection Number: photCL 521
Creator:
Hall, Charles Victor, 1854-1933
Extent:
166 lantern slides and 3 copy negatives in 4 boxes: slides 8 x 8 cm. (3.25 x 3.25 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: These lantern slides depict urban, agricultural, and nature scenes of California in the 1870s. The slides acted as a visual
accompaniment to real estate developer Charles Victor Hall’s
traveling lecture promoting California's resources and benefits, aimed to encourage New Englanders and Europeans to relocate
to California. This collection is significant in its images of Native Americans in
California, mainly in the Yosemite area, and views of prospecting and mining.
Language: English.
Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
Administrative Information
Publication Rights
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.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Charles Victor Hall Lantern Slide Collection of California Views, The Huntington Library, San Marino,
California.
Provenance
Gift of Mrs. Charles V. Hall on January 24, 1935.
Biographical Note
Charles Victor Hall (1854-1933) was born in 1854 in San Francisco, California, but grew up in Los Angeles. He was a precocious
student, giving the valedictory at Los Angeles Grammar School on November 25, 1869.
As a young man, he wrote poems and articles for local newspapers. From 1876 to 1880, he edited and published his own
Hall’s Land Journal, promoting the agriculture and resources of Southern California.
Around this time, Hall created a lantern slide lecture about California and its climate, agriculture, trade, and industry;
he traveled to the Eastern United States and Europe with the aim that his lecture would
persuade people to immigrate to California, bringing with them their families and businesses. Hall later worked as a real
estate agent in Los Angeles before trying his hand in the oil industry. After successfully
drilling a number of oil wells at Olinda Ranch in Brea, California, Hall retired to his ranch at Buena, California in 1912
and passed away in 1933.
Note on sources: typescript dictation of
Charles Victor Hall from
Miscellaneous California Dictations, ca. 1887-1889
at the
Bancroft Library, U. C. Berkeley (BANC MSS CD 810:171); and Hall's Scrapbooks at the Huntington Library (see Related Materials).
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection of 166 lantern slides depicting urban, agricultural, and nature scenes of California in the 1870s were created
by real estate developer Charles Victor Hall as a visual accompaniment to his
traveling lecture promoting California’s resources and benefits. The lecture aimed to encourage New Englanders and Europeans
to relocate to California. The majority of the lantern slides depict scenes from
northern California, including Yosemite National Park and San Francisco. Some southern California views are also shown, including
San Diego and Los Angeles County. Other slides of interest are views of the
California ranches of F.P.F. Temple, Ellwood Cooper, F.D. Bacon, Maria Sepulveda, L.J. Rose Jr. (and family), and H.H. Moore.
Portraits of General John C. Fremont and actress Maude Granger are also featured
in the collection.
This collection is significant in its images of Native Americans in California, mainly in the Yosemite area; see slides (56),
(60), (64), (66), (67), (68), and (74). Many of the images were possibly
photographed by Bradley & Rulofson, as stated in newspaper clippings from 1874-75, found in Hall’s scrapbooks. In addition,
Hall said that he purchased his "views and instruments" from Houseworth & Co.
(
The Morning Call, Sept. 23, 1874, p. 14). The images were most likely taken by several different photographers, including Carleton Watkins
and Eadweard Muybridge.
In addition to the lantern slides, three copy negatives depicting the logging industry are also included (Items 219-221).
There is also a printing plate portrait of Charles Victor Hall(item 222), and a few photographs: portraits of Charles Victor
Hall and his wife Josephine Dalton, and views of his residence in Los Angeles (items 223 - 227)..
Arrangement
Items arranged numerically according to the original slide numbers assigned by Charles Victor Hall.
Related Materials in the Huntington Library
Indexing Terms
Bank of California -- Photographs. -- Photographs.
California State Capitol (Sacramento, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Cliff House (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Geysers—California -- Photographs.
Hotels -- Photographs.
Indians of North America—California -- Photographs.
Logging -- Photographs.
Mercantile Library Association (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Mills Seminary -- Photographs.
Mineral industries -- Photographs.
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel (San Gabriel, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Miwok Indians -- Photographs.
Orchards -- Photographs.
Paiute Indians -- Photographs.
Prospecting -- Photographs.
Quartz mines and mining -- Photographs.
Ranches -- Photographs.
Rock formations—California -- Photographs.
San Buenaventura Mission -- Photographs.
San Diego Mission -- Photographs.
Santa Barbara Mission -- Photographs.
Sweatbaths -- Photographs.
Telegraph Hill (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Trees -- Photographs.
Union Pacific Railroad Company -- Photographs.
Vineyards -- Photographs.
Wineries -- Photographs.
Woodward’s Gardens (San Francisco, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Bierstadt, Albert, 1830-1902 -- Photographs.
Frémont, John Charles, 1813-1890 -- Photographs.
Granger, Maude, 1850 or 51-1928 -- Photographs.
Hall, Charles Victor, 1852-1933 -- Photographs.
Temple, Francis Pliny F., 1821-1880 -- Photographs.
Rose, L. J. (Leonard John), 1827-1899 -- Photographs.
Alcatraz Island (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Bridalveil Fall (Calif.) -- Photographs.
California State Prison at San Quentin -- Photographs.
Calistoga (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Cathedral Spires (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Donner Lake (Calif.) -- Photographs.
El Capitan (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Farallon Islands (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Glacier Point (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Half Dome (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Mariposa County (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Sacramento (Calif.) -- Photographs.
San Diego (Calif.) -- Photographs.
San Francisco (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Santa Rosa Island (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.) -- Photographs.
Tamalpais, Mount (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Truckee River (Calif. and Nev.) -- Photographs.
Wasatch Range (Utah and Idaho) -- Photographs.
Yerba Buena Island (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Yosemite Falls (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Yosemite National Park (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Lantern slides.
Photographs.
Printing plate.
Container List
Note
Slides are numbered with the original numbers
assigned by Charles Victor Hall, so there are
some gaps in the list. Item titles primarily transcribed from handwritten labels on the plates; titles supplied by cataloger
are indicated by brackets.
Box 1, Item 2
Summit Tuloowack Falls, Yosemite
Box 1, Item 3
Cliff House, San Francisco
Box 1, Item 6
Sunset, Mount Tamalpais, Marin Co.
Box 1, Item 8
Trestle constructed by Union Pacific between Promontory and Blue Creek, Utah
Box 1, Item 9
First quartz mill, 1851. Amador City
Box 1, Item 11
Tutokanula from Moonlight Rock, Yosemite Valley
Box 1, Item 12
Century Plant, Los Angeles
Box 1, Item 13
Forest Giant, Mariposa Grove, Mariposa Co.
Box 1, Item 15
Merchant’s Exchange, California St., San Francisco
Box 1, Item 16
California Street, East from Webb Street, San Francisco
Box 1, Item 19
Tunnel No. 15, looking west, C.P.R.R., Calif.
Box 1, Item 20
Seal Rocks from Cliff House, San Francisco
Box 1, Item 21
Steamer “El Capitan,” San Francisco Bay
Box 1, Item 22
Mercantile Library, Interior, San Francisco
Box 1, Item 23
Military post at Goat Island, San Francisco
Box 1, Item 26
Woodward’s Gardens, San Francisco [View of stuffed tiger]
Box 1, Item 27
Gardens, Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay
Box 1, Item 29
Midday rest [same group as prospectors party]
Box 1, Item 32
Woodward’s Gardens, San Francisco [View of camels]
Box 1, Item 33
Yachting on San Francisco Bay
Box 1, Item 34
Birds at Woodward’s Gardens, San Francisco
Box 1, Item 35
Mills Seminary, Seminary Park, Alameda Co.
Box 1, Item 36
Gardens. Alcatraz Island, San Francisco
Box 1, Item 38
Bacchus by Halernpre [Statue of Bacchus]
Box 1, Item 39
Woodward’s Gardens, San Francisco
Box 1, Item 41
Fording Pluto Creek, Sonoma Co.
Box 1, Item 42
Pluto Creek Bridge, Sonoma Co.
Box 1, Item 45
The Murr Bridge, Farralones Island
Box 1, Item 46
Cactus on Mexican territory
Box 1, Item 47
Lumber Hill, Rocky Glen, Truckee River [Men at lumber mill]
Box 1, Item 49
Calistoga Springs. Wheat field, Napa Co.
Box 1, Item 53
Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite Valley
Box 1, Item 54
“Bridal Veil,” Yosemite Valley
Box 1, Item 55
Reflection of the Domes in the Merced, Yosemite Valley
Box 1, Item 56
Morning concert on the Merced River, Yosemite Valley [Indian gathering]
Box 1, Item 57
Contemplation Rock, Glacier Pt., Yosemite
Box 1, Item 58
Hunto (Washington Column) Yosemite
Box 1, Item 59
The Domes, Yosemite Valley
Box 1, Item 60
Medicine Man asleep, Yosemite [Indian man sleeping]
Box 1, Item 61
The Sentinel, Yosemite Valley [Sentinel Dome]
Box 1, Item 62
“Bridal Veil,” Yosemite Valley
Box 1, Item 63
Bath House [Indian sweat house or sweatbath] in the Yosemite
Box 1, Item 64
Log of Piute Bucks [Paiute Indian men]
Box 1, Item 65
Conejo Ranch, Ventura Co.
Box 2, Item 66
Indian group, Yosemite Valley [Duplicate of #56]
Box 2, Item 67
Bierstadt’s studio, Yosemite [Albert Bierstadt painting outdoors with Indians]
Box 2, Item 68
Indian encampment, Merced, Yosemite
Box 2, Item 69
Half Dome from Glacier Point, Yosemite
Box 2, Item 71
Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite
Box 2, Item 72
Cathedral Spires, Yosemite
Box 2, Item 73
Matillija Baths, Ventura Co.
Box 2, Item 74
Work in the Yosemite [Indian men sleeping]
Box 2, Item 75
F.P.F. Temple’s house, Viejo, Los Angeles Co.
Box 2, Item 76
Santa Barbara Mission [interior view]
Box 2, Item 77
El Choro Falls, San Luis Obispo Co.
Box 2, Item 78
Elwood Cooper’s Ranch, Santa Barbara Co.
Box 2, Item 79
Lemon tree, Camulos Ranch, Ventura Co.
Box 2, Item 80
Grapevine, Santa Barbara Co. (Montecito)
Box 2, Item 81
San Luis Obispo, looking north
Box 2, Item 82
Elwood Cooper’s Ranch at Santa Barbara Co.
Box 2, Item 83
Elwood Cooper’s Ranch, Santa Barbara Co.
Box 2, Item 84
Devil’s Tea Kettle, Geyser Springs, Sonoma Co. [cartoon devil drawn on photo]
Box 2, Item 85
Group at the Geysers, Sonoma Co.
Box 2, Item 89
General John C. Fremont [portrait]
Box 2, Item 93
Tisayack (Half Dome), Yosemite
Box 2, Item 95
Tisayack (Half Dome), Yosemite
Box 2, Item 96
Keystone State Quartz Mill, Amador City
Box 2, Item 99
F.D. Bacon’s Ranch, San Gabriel
Box 2, Item 100
Will Tell’s seaside retreat, Los Angeles Co.
Box 2, Item 102
Anaheim—Dreyfus’ Vineyard
Box 2, Item 103
Mongolian Flat, 1849—Celestial Diggings [Miner with rocker in stream]
Box 2, Item 105
Woodward’s Gardens, San Francisco
Box 2, Item 106
[Chinese man] panning out [panning for gold]
Box 2, Item 107
Woodward’s Gardens, San Francisco [Bears]
Box 2, Item 109
[View of big tree] [Broken]
Box 2, Item 111
Quartz crushing mill, Amador City (?)
Box 2, Item 113
Threshing, Steele Ranch, San Luis Obispo Co.
Box 2, Item 115
Bank of California, San Francisco
Box 2, Item 117
San Pedro Point, Los Angeles Co.
Box 2, Item 118
Dreyfus Vineyard, Anaheim
Box 2, Item 120
Child’s orange grove, Los Angeles
Box 2, Item 121
Trinity Church, Jewish Synagogue, San Francisco
Box 2, Item 123
Orange branch, Child’s Ranch, Los Angeles [Branch laden with oranges]
Box 2, Item 124
Horton House, San Diego [Interior view of restaurant]
Box 2, Item 126
Workman’s vineyard, Los Angeles Co.
Box 2, Item 128
Los Angeles [View of city]
Box 2, Item 130
Guardian of the Temple, Chinese Joss House, San Francisco
Box 3, Item 132
Wadsworth on Truckee River (?)
Box 3, Item 138
Trout fishing on Pluton Creek, Sonoma Co.
Box 3, Item 142
Humboldt Palisades, C.P.R.R.—Looking west [Man standing by river and rocks. Photograph taken from railway?]
Box 3, Item 143
Humboldt Palisades, C.P.R.R.—Looking west [View of railroad tracks]
Box 3, Item 144
Humboldt Palisades, C.P.R.R.—Looking west [View of railroad tracks running by cliffs]
Box 3, Item 145
Map of California and Nevada
Box 3, Item 146
Reflection of the Domes in Merced River, Yosemite
Box 3, Item 149
Prospecting party [Same group of men as in (25) and (29)]
Box 3, Item 150
Petrified oyster shells, San Antonio Creek, Ventura Co.
Box 3, Item 151
Rose’s orange avenue, San Gabriel [Photo of L. J. Rose Jr. and family]
Box 3, Item 154
Los Angeles High School, 1873, where County Court House now stands—from Broadway Hill?
Box 3, Item 155
Woodward’s Gardens, San Francisco [Chinese tumblers]
Box 3, Item 156
Maria Sepulveda’s Ranch, Wilmington
Box 3, Item 159
Matillija Canyon, Ventura Co.
Box 3, Item 160
Santa Barbara harbor from the Mesa [Mexican or Indian family in foreground]
Box 3, Item 162
Santa Rosa Island, H.H. Moore’s Ranch
Box 3, Item 164
Sycamore trees, Santa Barbara Co.
Box 3, Item 165
Military exercise on Goat Island
Box 3, Item 166
Bancroft’s Block, Market St., San Francisco
Box 3, Item 167
The Old Rocker [Miner working in ditch with machine]
Box 3, Item 168
Montgomery St., San Francisco (north from California St.)
Box 3, Item 169
Ordnance Yard, Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay
Box 3, Item 170
Bear River Crossing, C.P.R.R.
Box 3, Item 171
Elwood Cooper’s ranch house, Santa Barbara Co.
Box 3, Item 172
San Francisco [cannon at Fort Point]
Box 3, Item 174
Utah Central R.R. Weber River near Ogden, Utah—Wasatch Mts.
Box 3, Item 175
Telegraph Hill, San Francisco
Box 3, Item 176
San Francisco—Grand Hotel at Market, Montgomery and 2nd Sts.
Box 3, Item 177
San Diego—looking west [H.T. Payne panorama? Creek]
Box 3, Item 178
San Diego—looking southwest [H.T. Payne panorama? Creek]
Box 3, Item 180
California St., San Francisco
Box 3, Item 181
Looking toward the geysers from the hotel (Calistoga, Ca.)
Box 3, Item 182
U.S. Coast Survey Brig. Puget Sound
Box 3, Item 183
Devil’s Tea Kettle, the Geysers, Sonoma Co.
Box 3, Item 184
Gardens of Calistoga Springs Hotel, Napa Co.
Box 3, Item 186
Santa Rosa Island [prickly pear cacti]
Box 3, Item 187
Devil’s Peak from Palisade Lake, Sierra Nevada Mts.
Box 3, Item 188
Boundary Monument, San Diego
Box 3, Item 190
[Chinese man and man in bowler hat] panning out [panning for gold]
Box 3, Item 191
Mission gardens, San Diego
Box 3, Item 192
North Beach and Goat Island, San Francisco Bay
Box 3, Item 194
Maude Granger [Stage actress]
Box 3, Item 195
On the trail to Piwyack, Yosemite
Box 3, Item 196
Palisade Lake, Sierra Nevada Mts.
Box 3, Item 197
Lake Donner, Sierra Nevada Mts.
Box 4
Lantern slides 203-218; copy negatives 219-221; and prints 222-227
Box 4, Item 203
Buena Vista Vineyard, Sonoma Co.
Box 4, Item 204
Buena Vista Vineyard, Sonoma Co.
Box 4, Item 205
Buena Vista Vineyard, Sonoma Co.
Box 4, Item 206
Buena Vista Vineyard, Sonoma Co.
Box 4, Item 207
Buena Vista Vineyard, Sonoma Co.
Box 4, Item 208
Gardens, Calistoga Springs Hotel
Box 4, Item 209
Hydraulic mining, Chinese claim, Yreka
Box 4, Item 210
Seal Rocks, San Francisco [Badly scratched]
Box 4, Item 211
Woodward’s Gardens, San Francisco [Badly scratched]
Box 4, Item 214
Vernal Falls of the Yosemite Valley (Piwyack Cave)
Box 4, Item 216
Summit of Piwyack (Vernal Falls), Yosemite
Box 4, Item 218
Piwyack (Vernal Falls), Yosemite
Box 4, Item 219
[Men with logs on train]
Copy negative; original not in collection.
Box 4, Item 220
[Men with logs on train]
Copy negative; original not in collection.
Box 4, Item 221
[Men accompanying logs pulled by oxen]
Copy negative; original not in collection.
Box 4, Item 222
(metal printing plate) Portrait of Charles Victor Hall
Box 4, Item 223
(photographic print) Portrait of Charles Victor Hall
Box 4, Item 224
(photographic print) Portrait of Josephine Dalton Hall
Box 4, Item 225-227
(photographic prints) Residence of C.V. Hall (Hall appears in one photograph)