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Finding Aid to the James D. Phelan Photograph Albums, 1902-1929
BANC PIC 1932.001--ALB
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Contributing Institution:
The Bancroft Library
Title: James D. Phelan photograph albums
Creator:
Phelan, James D. (James Duval), 1861-1930
Identifier/Call Number: BANC PIC 1932.001--ALB
Physical Description:
6000 items
in 21 albums (approximately 6000 photographic prints, postcards, and ephemeral souvenirs) and 1335 digital objects
; various sizes
Date (inclusive): 1902-1929
Abstract: Personal photograph albums of James D. Phelan, San Francisco mayor and U.S. senator for California.
Physical Location: Many Bancroft Library collections are stored off-site and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Language of Material:
English
.
Collection stored off-site. Advance notice required for use.
Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
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[Identification of item], James D. Phelan photograph albums, BANC PIC 1932.001--ALB, The Bancroft Library, University of California,
Berkeley
Digital Representations Available
Digital representations of selected original pictorial materials are available in the list of materials below. Digital image
files were prepared from selected Library originals by the Library Photographic Service. Library originals were copied onto
35mm color transparency film; the film was scanned and transferred to Kodak Photo CD (by Custom Process); and the Photo CD
files were color-corrected and saved in JFIF (JPEG) format for use as viewing files.
Selected items were digitized or re-digitized at a later date.
Title: James D. Phelan papers,
Identifier/Call Number: BANC MSS C-B 800
Title: James D. Phelan photograph collection,
Identifier/Call Number: BANC PIC 1933.003
Title: James D. Phelan portrait collection,
Identifier/Call Number: BANC PIC 1933.004
Transferred from the James D. Phelan papers, BANC MSS C-B 800.
James Duval Phelan was born in San Francisco, April 20, 1861, and was intimately associated throughout the greater part of
his life with the political, business and cultural history of the city. His father, James Phelan, was an Irish immigrant who
came to California in the gold rush and made a fortune in trade, banking, insurance, and real estate. Young Phelan attended
San Francisco schools, was graduated from St. Ignatius College in 1881 and studied law at the University of California. After
graduation he traveled abroad for a year and a half, studying municipal governments and writing articles on his observations
for various magazines and San Francisco newspapers. Influenced by his father, he gave up his early aspirations to become a
lawyer or a writer and turned to a business career, first as his father's partner, and then, in 1892, as his successor in
the banking business and as manager of the considerable estate which he had inherited.
Politics quickly claimed Phelan's attention, and he became actively involved in the battle for civic reform. In the mid-nineties
San Francisco was one of the most notoriously boss-ridden, corrupt cities in the country. The reform Democrats, in 1896, nominated
Phelan for the office of mayor. With virtually no previous political experience, campaigning for an end to corruption and
for home rule and civic service reform, he was elected, and twice re-elected. He successfully led the campaign for the adoption
of a new city charter, despite the opposition of the party machines, and worked for municipal ownership of public utilities,
public improvements, and beautification of the city. He concluded his term of office in 1902 and refused to run a fourth time.
The San Francisco fire of 1906 called Phelan back into public service. He was chosen president of the Relief and Red Cross
Funds, a corporation, and it was to him, personally, that President Theodore Roosevelt sent the $10,000,000 collected for
the relief of the fire sufferers. He took an active part, too, with Rudolph Spreckels and Fremont Older, in the graft prosecutions
that followed the fire.
In 1912 he actively campaigned for Woodrow Wilson, and in 1914, he entered the race for the U.S. Senate on the Democratic
ticket. He won and became the first California Democrat to sit in the Senate since 1897. Before he entered office he was sent
on a diplomatic mission to Santo Domingo by the State Department, under authority form President Woodrow Wilson, to investigate
charges of unfitness for office brought against the U.S. minister to the Dominican Republic. In 1920 Phelan ran for reelection
but was defeated in the Harding landslide. He did not completely retire from political life, however. Serving as one of the
California delegates to the 1924 Democratic national convention, he placed William G. McAdoo's name in nomination for the
presidency of the United States, and he contributed frequently to the Democratic Party coffers.
After leaving the Senate, Phelan returned to San Francisco and devoted time largely to his business enterprises and to civic
betterment work. Well known as a patron of the arts, he generously helped artists and writers and served as California's unofficial
host, entertaining distinguished celebrities at his spacious country estate, Villa Montalvo, in the Santa Clara Valley, near
Saratoga. He traveled extensively, too, and contributed frequently to magazines, writing on a wide range of topics. In 1923
he published
Travel and Comment, an account of this trip around the world in 1921-22.
As one of San Francisco's most prominent citizens, Phelan was signally honored on many occasions. He served as vice president
of the California Commission to the Chicago Exposition, 1893; regent of the University of California; trustee of the San Francisco
Public Library; president of the Adornment Association; president of the Art Association; president of the Playground Commission;
thrice president of the Bohemian Club; and president of the Hall Association of the Native Sons of the Golden West.
Phelan never married, though he attempted to propose once. The floor of the hack in which he was kneeling gave way, and left
him chasing after the hack while the young woman sat inside and laughed. He was humiliated, and the young woman, whose name
is unknown, left for Europe from the Ferry Building in San Francisco, apparently either turning down Phelan, or never getting
to hear the proposal.
Phelan died at his estate, Villa Montalvo, on August 7, 1930, after an illness of three months.
The collection consists of 21 photograph albums containing more than 6000 photographic prints, postcards, and ephemeral items
collected by James Duval Phelan between the years 1902 and 1929. The albums, numbered 82 through 102, were originally part
of Phelan's papers. Volumes 1-81 remain with his papers (BANC MSS C-B 800).
General descriptions for each album follow in the Album Descriptions. However, caption lists were prepared for only ten albums
in this finding aid. These albums focus on Phelan's California activities, especially at his estate Villa Montalvo in Saratoga,
California. The remaining albums are devoted to Phelan's travels in Europe between 1902 and 1926 and a trip to the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition in 1904.
Many of the California photographs are of scenes at Phelan's Montalvo estate in Saratoga, California where Phelan entertained
many writers and celebrities over the years. People featured in the albums include Helen Wills, Povla Frijsh, George Sterling,
Charles Erskine Scott Wood, Henry Meade Bland, Roland Hayes, Maude Fay, Edwin Markham, Fannie Hurst, Al Smith, Haig Patigian,
Key Pittman, Benjamin Ide Wheeler, William Randolph Hearst, John McCormack, Lawrence Tibbett, Jack and Charmian London, Joaquin
Miller, Charles Warren Stoddard, Gertrude Atherton, Elsie Janis, Tito Schipa, David Starr Jordan, Ina Claire, and Fremont
Older. Since Phelan never married, the "Mrs. Phelan" referred to in many of the captions in the albums is likely his mother.
Other places in California featured include the Bohemian Grove, Napa, Berryessa Farm, Santa Cruz, Yosemite, San Simeon, Carmel,
the Sierras, and the Spreckels estate Sobre Vista. Volume 95 includes photographs of Phelan's penthouse in San Francisco from
1925-1926. Volume 101 includes views of the Phelan Ranch in Chico, California (1919-1923), and volume 102 is devoted to the
Central Sierra water project (1918).
Most of the photographers are not identified. Some albums include the work of Gabriel Moulin of San Francisco and Charles
Ellis Johnson of San Jose. Some photographs are captioned. These captions are reproduced in the container list. Descriptive
captions are supplied in brackets for uncaptioned photographs. Many of the individuals in these uncaptioned photographs have
not been identified.
Volumes 1-81 remain in the manuscripts collection (BANC MSS C-B 800).