The Banning Family Collection of Photographs, Part I, contains photographs, glass plate negatives, and one scrapbook collected by the Banning Family of Southern California and depicting various family members, friends, and family properties (both residential and commercial), with an emphasis on Wilmington and Santa Catalina Island, California. Items date from 1855 to 1979 (bulk 1880s-1910s) and consist of 996 black-and-white photographs, 82 glass-plate negatives (5 x 7 inches and 5 x 8 inches), and 1 scrapbook. 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. Photographers represented in the collection include G.O. Ayer; Joseph Brent Banning; Boye; Bradley and Rulofson; E.M. Brickey; Henry H. Buehman; Detroit Photographic Company; George N. Dewey; Ida M. Essery; Hervey Friend; William H. Godfrey; A.C. Golsh; Lola L. Huddleston; Truman W. Ingersoll; Charles Ironmonger; Keystone Photo Service; Theodore Marceau; Frank L. Park; J.R. Putnam; Putnam and Valentine; P.V. Reyes; Frank G. Schumacher; Silas Selleck; Stagg Photography; George Steckel; Noren F. Swenson; Isaiah W. Taber; Louis Thors; C.B. Waite; James D. Westervelt; and Charles A. Zimmerman.

The Banning Family played a pivotal role in the development of Southern California. Phineas Banning (1830-1885) immigrated to California from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 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.

1078 photographs (including photographic prints and glass-plate negatives) and 1 scrapbook in 11 boxes (8.91 linear feet)

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Advance arrangements for viewing negatives must be made with the Curator of Photographs. The collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, please visit the Huntington's website: www.huntington.org.