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Banning Family Collection of Photographs, Part II: Finding
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photCL 451
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Title: Banning Family Collection of Photographs, Part II
Dates (inclusive): 1814-1979
Bulk dates: 1880-1920
Collection Number: photCL 451
Creator:
Banning family.
Extent:
27 boxes (22.61 linear feet)
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: The Banning Family Collection of Photographs, Part II, contains 1204 photographs and 23 photograph albums collected by the
Banning family of Southern California from 1814 to 1979 (bulk 1880-1920).
The three most substantial categories of
images in this collection are views of Santa Catalina Island; Banning family properties and residences in southern California;
and portraits of family members and relatives. Of special
significance are the Catalina photographs documenting the development of the island from a natural enclave with a few
inhabitants to a thriving tourist resort. Volume 7 in the Photograph
Album section contains images of the devastating effects of the Catalina fire of 1915. Also of particular interest are
photographs of the George S. Patton family. Photographers
represented in the collection include Joseph Brent Banning; Bertrand and Co.; Bradley and Rulofson; C.T. Colliers; B.F.
Conaway; Dewey Bros.; Hervé Friend; William M. Godfrey;
Jarvis Studios; A.L. Mojonier; Payne, Stanton, and Co.; Putnam Studios; Reyes; F.G. Schumacher; Stanton and Burdick; Steckel
Studios; Steckel and Lamson; and I.W. Taber.
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.
[Identification of item], Banning Family Collection of Photographs, Part II, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Gift of Mrs. Richard W. Call and Mrs. Daniel A. Sisk, June 1996.
The collection was arranged, numbered and rehoused, and a Container List created, by Jane Apostol in 2004. Jennifer Watts
created the original finding aid in May 2004. The machine-readable finding aid was created by Sue Luftschein in March 2007.
Ten stereographs of the Civil War published by the firms Taylor and Huntington and E. and H.T. Anthony and Co. were transferred
to the Photo Archives' stereograph collection. For a list of these items, contact the Curator of Photographs.
Physical Characteristics or Technical Requirements
Arrangements for viewing negatives must be made with the Curator of Photographs. Film negatives are housed in cold storage.
The Banning Family played a pivotal role in the development of Southern California. Phineas Banning (1830-1885) immigrated
to California from Philadelphia in 1852, and soon became a partner in a freight and
stage-line business that ran between San Pedro and Los Angeles. He founded the settlement of Wilmington near San Pedro,
which served as the hub of the Banning Company. Banning's many business interests
included shipping, warehousing, real estate, and transportation services to Los Angeles and inland areas. The Banning Company
continued under the direction of Phineas's sons, William, Joseph Brent (J.B.),
and Hancock, until the company dissolved in 1920.
The Banning Company purchased the majority interest in Santa Catalina Island in 1892 with the intention of developing the
site as a resort. In partnership with Dr. Charles Frederick Holder, the family turned
Catalina into a renowned fishing destination. The Bannings controlled Catalina Island until 1919 when they sold their controlling
interest for $3.5 million dollars to chewing gum magnate William Wrigley.
The Banning Family Collection of Photographs, Part II, contains 1204 photographs and 23 photograph albums collected by the
Banning family of Southern California from 1814 to 1979 (bulk 1880-1920).
The most substantial categories of photographs in the collection are: views of Santa Catalina Island; Banning family properties
and residences in southern California; and portraits of family members and relatives.
Of special significance are the Catalina photographs documenting the development of the island from a natural enclave with
few inhabitants to a thriving tourist resort. The collection also includes views of the
Banning family properties in Wilmington, their Conejo Ranch in Ventura County, and a camp at Pomona. Other categories include
the Ayer Family; the Horn/Russell Family; Banning Family Employees; Miscellaneous and
Unidentified Portraits; Banning Family Trips; George S. Patton Family; Oversized Photographs; Ephemera; and Family Albums.
This final category focuses primarily on Banning properties, family portraits, and especially
Catalina, including one album documenting the devastating Catalina fire of 1915 (Volume 7). Of particular interest are
the images of the George S. Patton family who were close friends of the Bannings.
There are a significant number of photographers represented in the collection, chief among them Joseph Brent Banning or "J.B.B.,"
as he signed his images. J.B. Banning's amateur views are noteworthy as the earliest and
largest body of visual documentation of Catalina and other Banning holdings. Many of southern California's most notable
commercial portrait and landscape photographers are represented in the collection including:
Bertrand and Co.; Bradley and Rulofson; C.T. Colliers; B.F. Conaway; Dewey Bros.; Hervé Friend; William M. Godfrey; Jarvis
Studios; A.L. Mojonier; Payne, Stanton, and Co.; Putnam Studios; Reyes; F.G. Schumacher;
Stanton and Burdick; Steckel Studios; Steckel and Lamson; and I.W. Taber.
The collection is arranged in the following categories: Santa Catalina Island; Wilmington; Conejo Ranch, Ventura County; Camp
at Pomona; Banning Family Members and Residences; Ayer Family; Horn/Russell Family; Banning Employees; Miscellaneous and Unidentifed
Portraits; Banning Family Trips; George S. Patton Family; Oversized Photographs; Ephemera; and Family Albums.
Box 26 houses glass plate negatives. Box 27 houses film negatives.
Related Material in the Huntington Library
- Interior and exterior views of the William Banning Residence on Hoover Street, Los Angeles (photCL 64)
- Banning Family Collection of Photographs, Part I (photCL 180)
- Patton Family Collection of Negatives and Photographs (photCL 282)
- Records of the Banning Company (mssBanning Company), Manuscripts Department.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Banning, Hancock, 1865-1925--Photographs.
Banning, Joseph Brent, 1861-1920--Homes and haunts--Photographs.
Banning, Joseph Brent, 1861-1920, photographer.
Banning, Phineas, 1830-1885--Photographs.
Banning, William, 1858-1946--Photographs.
Banning, William L., 1814-1893--Homes and haunts--Photographs.
Biscailuz, Eugene W., 1883-1963--Photographs.
Collier, Charles T., photographer.
Conaway, B. F., photographer.
Dewey, George N., photographer.
Friend, Hervey, photographer.
Godfrey, W. M. (William Mollock), 1825-1900, photographer.
Holder, Charles Frederick, 1851-1915--Photographs.
Mojonier, A. Louis, photographer.
Patton, George S. (George Smith), 1856-1927--Homes and haunts--Photographs.
Patton, George S. (George Smith), 1856-1927--Photographs.
Patton, George S. (George Smith), 1885-1945--Photographs.
Rogers, Will, 1879-1935--Photographs.
Schumacher, Frank G., 1861- photographer.
Taber, I. W. (Isaiah West), 1830-1912, photographer.
Bertrand and Co.
Bradley and Rulofson.
Jarvis (Firm : Pasadena, Calif.), photographer.
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel (San Gabriel, Calif.)--Photographs.
Payne, Stanton and Co.
Plaza Photo Gallery.
Stanton and Burdick.
Steckel and Lamson.
Sunbeam Gallery.
Ayers family--Photographs.
Patton family--Photographs.
Pomona (Calif.)--Photographs.
Santa Catalina Island (Calif.)--Photographs.
Wilmington (Los Angeles, Calif.)--Photographs.
Lowe, Mount (Los Angeles County, Calif.)--Photographs.
Los Angeles (Calif.)--Photographs.
Ventura County (Calif.)--Photographs.
Boats and boating--California--Santa Catalina Island--Photographs.
Camping--California--Photographs.
Children--Photographs.
Chinese--Photographs.
Fishing--California--Santa Catalina Island--Photographs.
Golf--California--Santa Catalina Island--Photographs.
Indians of North America--Photographs.
Italians--Photographs.
Japanese--Photographs.
Ranch life--California--Ventura County--Photographs.
Recreation--California--Santa Catalina Island--Photographs.
Ships--Photographs.
Stagecoaches--California--Santa Catalina Island--Photographs.
Unskilled labor--California--Photographs.
Cabinet photographs.
Clippings.
Cyanotypes.
Ephemera.
Negatives.
Photograph albums.
Photographs.
Photogravures.
Portraits.
Postcards.
Stereographs.
Tintypes.