Collection Summary
Information for Researchers
Administrative Information
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Photographs from the Walter S. Johnson papers
Date (inclusive): circa 1870-circa 1975
Collection Number: BANC PIC 2012.103
Collector:
Johnson, Walter S.
Extent:
3 boxes, 3 oversize folers, 3 albums (circa 1,100 photographic prints, including 2 tintypes), 4 framed photographs, 67 negatives
and 1 cased photograph : b&w and color ; 53 x 43 cm or smaller.
Repository: The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Information for Researchers
Access Information
NITRATE NEGATIVES CLOSED TO RESEARCH DUE TO HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESTRICTIONS.
FRAMED PHOTOGRAPHS AND AMBROTYPE RESTRICTED. Use of framed and cased photographs only by permission of the appropriate curator.
Inquiries regarding these materials should be directed, in writing, to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library.
COLLECTION STORED, IN PART, OFF-SITE: Advance notice required for use.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Photographs from the Walter S. Johnson Papers, BANC PIC 2012.103, The Bancroft Library, University
of California, Berkeley
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog
Johnson, Walter Samuel--1884-1978--Archives.
Box making--California--Photographs.
Photograph albums.
Administrative Information
Gift ; of Walter S. Johnson Foundation ; 2011.
Biography/Organization History
Walter S. Johnson (1884-1978) was a businessman and philanthropist based in San Francisco, California. An early partner in
the Stockton Box Corporation, he helped to develop the company into the American Box Corporation, which later became the American
Forest Products Corporation. He also helped establish the Friden Calculuating Machine Company (Friden, Inc.). In 1959 Johnson
donated $2 million for the preservation of the Palace of Fine Arts, and continued to support the Palace financially for the
rest of his life. In tribute, the city named the surrounding grounds the Walter S. Johnson Park. In 1968 Johnson established
the Walter S. Johnson Foundation to support his various philanthropic interests.
Scope and Content Note
Includes formal portrait photographs and snapshots of Walter S. Johnson; his family, friends and other associates; and events
pertaining to his business and philanthropic pursuits. Also includes photograph albums pertaining to Johnson's early career
as a lawyer and partner in the Stockton Box Corporation; to his leadership of the American Box Corporation; and to the Panama
Pacific International Exposition. Some material depicts logging, lumbering and other aspects of wooden box manufacturing.
Also includes other photographs depicting P.P.I.E. and the Palace of Fine Arts, as well as portraits of architect Bernard
Maybeck. Ambrotype depicts Alfred A. Johnson, father of Walter S. Johnson.