Description
The Children's Hospital of San Francisco Photograph Collection contains approximately 1,600 photographic prints taken by various
photographers from circa 1887 to circa 1985. Approximately 550 of the photographs are contained in 5 albums. The collection
also contains 7 glass lantern slides, a small assortment of periodical clippings and post cards, and approximately 210 negatives.
The collection features many of the buildings associated with the medical center throughout its history; various personnel
- for example nurses, physicians, and board members - affiliated with the hospital and former nursing school; and many patients
treated by the institution. The collection also pictures a miscellany of events related to the hospital and nursing school.
A more detailed description of the subjects pictured in the collection can be found in the series description and listing
of negatives.
Background
In 1875, Dr. Charlotte Blake Brown and Dr. Martha E. Bucknell, along with 10 other San Francisco women, founded the Pacific
Dispensary for Women and Children. The objectives of the non-profit organization were to provide women with competent medical
aid by female physicians, to further the advancement of women in medical practice, to educate nurses, and to provide medical
and surgical aid to children. The early years of the dispensary were made difficult by financial hardship, by a continuous
demand to provide treatment to a growing number of patients, and by a widespread prejudice among the local medical profession
against women physicians. Despite the many challenges facing their organization, the early founders of the dispensary persevered
and were able to realize several groundbreaking achievements in the practice of medicine on the West Coast.
Extent
1 carton, 3 oversize boxes (ca. 1,600 photographic prints), 7 slides, and ca. 210 negatives
11 digital objects (11 images)
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft
Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
Availability
Collection is open for research, except for negatives, which are restricted. Use of negatives only by permission of the appropriate
curator. Inquiries concerning these materials should be directed, in writing, to the Curator of Pictorial Collections, The
Bancroft Library.