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Mautz (Carl) collection of cartes-de-visite and cabinet photographs from the Western United States and Canada
photCL 581  
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Cartes-de-visite (photographs) approximately 1860-1890s

Physical Description: 19 Linear Feet (19 binders)

Scope and Contents

Approximately 5,000 cartes-de-visite and a few tintypes, almost all portraits. The carte-de-visite, or calling card photograph, is generally an albumen print mounted on cardstock, 4 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches. Some photographs are hand colored or have handwritten names written on the back. The binders contain about 200 to 250 photographs each.
Binder 1

Arizona; Arkansas; Southern California

Scope and Contents

There are only three photographs from Arizona and three from Arkansas. There are over 150 portraits from Southern California, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Pasadena, and a few others.
Binder 2

Northern California, small towns and cities

Scope and Contents

Contains portraits from Petaluma, Gilroy, Brooklyn, Hollister, Salinas City, Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Redwood City, Santa Clara, Suisun, Livermore, Davisville, Lakeport, Dixon, Woodland, Vallejo, Pacheco, Santa Rosa, San Rafael, Napa City, St. Helena, Healdsburg.
Binder 3

California: Central Valley

Scope and Contents

Contains portraits from Visalia, Tulare County, Fresno County, Modesto, Stockton, Lodi, Merced City, Sacramento, San Jose.
Binder 4

California: San Francisco

Binder 5

California: San Francisco; Oakland; San Jose

Scope and Contents

There are four self-portraits of photographer James A. Clayton, who operated a gallery in San Jose from 1856 to 1870.
Binder 6

California: Sacramento

Scope and Contents

Several portraits are from a Bauer family album, Sacramento.
Binder 7

California: Grass Valley; Nevada City

Scope and Contents

Collector Carl Mautz acquired some photographs from the William S. May family album in Grass Valley, California around 1990. There are portraits of a young white couple, May and his wife Anna (Conaway) May, and four African Americans - a man, Boz Harrison; a woman, Hannah Harrison; and two girls, Minnie and Fannie Harrison. Anna's father, Carville Conaway, arrived in California from Baltimore in 1851, settling in Grass Valley with his family, who arrived later. The 1850 U.S. Federal Census shows that Carville Conaway had three enslaved people in his household in Baltimore. It is unclear if these are the same people. The tintype of Minnie Harrison has an imprint indicating it was taken in Baltimore. Research information regarding these photographs is in the collection information file. Please see Reader Services for more information.
This binder also contains a street view of the Nevada City Courthouse; a group portrait of four men and two horses in Nevada City; and two men in military uniforms.
Binder 8

California: Sierra Nevada towns (excluding Grass Valley and Nevada City)

Scope and Contents

Many of the portraits were made in Placerville and Sonora. One image of three men sitting at a table, smoking cigars and drinking beer; one tintype of a soldier.
Binder 9

California: Marysville; Oroville

Scope and Contents

One portrait of a Chinese man; one soldier in uniform.
Binder 10

California: Far north cities and towns; Traveling photographers

Scope and Contents

Contains portraits from Colusa, Red Bluff, Chico, Orland, Ukiah, Ferndale, Lakeport, Eureka, Mendocino City, Fort Jones, Weaverville, Hayden Hill, Crescent City, Alturas, Yreka, Downieville. Several portraits from the C.C. Richardson family album, Chico and Richardson Springs, California. This binder also has cartes-de-visite by traveling photographers, who worked in temporary set-up studios or sometimes worked on railroad cars, moving from town to town. One image shows a group portrait of four men at a table, one with an accordion.
Binder 11

Colorado; Dakota Territory; Hawaii; Idaho

Scope and Contents

Portraits include: an African American woman (Colorado); a cowboy wearing leather chaps (Colorado); men in military uniform, including a Native American soldier (Dakota); native Hawaiians; and a portrait of two Chinese children (Idaho).
Binder 12

Iowa

Scope and Contents

Includes 21 tintypes and a postmortem photograph of a little boy with flowers in his hands.
Binder 13

Kansas; Minnesota

Scope and Contents

Portraits from Kansas include: an African American woman wearing a cross; a young African American man wearing a cap and riding clothes; and a portrait of two women with "Jayhawkers" written on the back.
Binder 14

Missouri; Montana

Scope and Contents

One portrait of a woman identified as Dr. R. A. Schermerhorn (Missouri), and a portrait of Peter Ronan (1839-1893), a government agent for the Flathead Indian Reservation. The photograph is signed by him from Helena, Montana, May 20, 1869.
Binder 15

Nebraska; Nevada

Scope and Contents

Portraits in Nebraska include: a postmortem photograph of a young girl; a soldier holding a rifle. A Virginia City, Nevada portrait has writing on the back: "Indian War soldier wearing 1851 sword belt plate and 1850 officer's sword Medal of Honor. Name unknown."
Binder 16

New Mexico; Oregon

Scope and Contents

There are 14 photographs from New Mexico. One is a portrait of Lt. Peter Dumont Vroom Jr. (1842-1926), U.S. Army Brigadier General. There is also an outdoor photograph of a woman on a horse, with a view of a small Western town and boardwalk, taken by an Albuquerque photographer. Portraits from Oregon include: Zenas Ferry Moody, 7th governor of Oregon, his son, and 29 other portraits marked by the collector as "from Governor Moody group."
Binder 17

Texas

Scope and Contents

There are individual portraits of an African American man and woman, and three portraits of men in military uniforms.
Binder 18

Utah; Washington

Scope and Contents

Portraits from Utah include a Chinese man and two men in military uniforms.
Binder 19

Wisconsin; Wyoming

Scope and Contents

One portrait of a soldier from Wyoming.
 

Cabinet photographs approximately 1870s-1910

Physical Description: 9.3 Linear Feet (14 boxes)

Scope and Contents

Approximately 2,000 cabinet photographs, which are larger than the carte-de-visite format. They are generally albumen prints mounted on cardstock, measuring 6 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches.
Box 20

Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; Southern California

Scope and Contents

There are few photographs from Alaska (1), Arizona (3) and Arkansas (11). One Arkansas portrait depicts a little boy with a rifle. Southern California photographs include portraits from Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and other locations. There is a portrait of an African American woman and her baby, with a name written on the back, possibly Mrs. H. G. Hodge. In addition, there are several portraits of Italian American families that have names and writing in Italian on the backs (San Luis Obispo).
Box 21

California: Central Valley and Central Coast

Scope and Contents

Includes portraits from Modesto, Sonora, Stockton, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Paso Robles, and various other towns.
Box 22

California, Northern: Chico, Eureka, Grass Valley, Ione City, Jackson, La Porte, Marysville

Scope and Contents

One portrait of a nun wearing a habit, holding a cross (Grass Valley); one postmortem photograph of a baby (Marysville).
Box 23

California, Northern: Nelson Point, Nevada City, Oakland, Oroville, Red Bluff, Redding, Sacramento, Salinas

Scope and Contents

One portrait of a woman holding a mask over her face (Nevada City); one man in military uniform wearing a button that says "Cal." (Oakland); a group portrait of five cowboys (Oroville); two portraits of men with bicycles (Oroville).
Box 24

California, Northern: San Francisco

Scope and Contents

Includes portraits by prominent photographers Carleton Watkins, Isaiah W. Taber, and the Dore Gallery. There are two portraits of babies in the same large seashell; one has the imprint of Taber, the other of Watkins. Possibly Taber put his name on Watkins' photograph; Taber purchased Watkins' negatives following Watkins' bankruptcy. Other portraits of note are: men in traditional Scottish clothing with kilts; individual portraits of African American women; Chinese Americans; and a white woman posing in traditional Chinese clothing and hairstyle.
Box 25

California, Northern: San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Tulare, Ukiah, Willows, Yreka

Scope and Contents

One portrait of a Chinese man (San Jose).
Box 26

California, Northern: Miscellaneous cities and towns

Scope and Contents

Includes a woman in blackface wearing a long coat and a hat, possibly a theater performer.
Box 28

Colorado; Dakota Territory; Hawaii; Idaho

Scope and Contents

Dakota Territory photographs include some imprinted with South Dakota or North Dakota, which were taken after 1889, the year of statehood. Portraits include: a soldier (Fort Collins, Colorado); a man on a bicycle (Colorado); painters and carpenters with tools (Dakota); an East Indian man with rugs (Dakota); three portraits of native Hawaiian women wearing Western-style dresses (Honolulu, Hawaii); an outdoor group portrait of students and two wooden school buildings (Silver City, Idaho, 1884).
Box 29

Iowa; Kansas; Minnesota; Missouri; Montana

Scope and Contents

Portraits in Iowa include: a chemist measuring liquids in bottles; a man with two guns in his belt; an outdoor image of a small church with steeple in Williamsburg. Other portraits include: two individual portraits of African American men (Kansas); a minister with Salvation Army button and violin (Kansas); a baker displaying bread (Minnesota); a couple in front of a house with picket fence (Minnesota).
Box 30

Nebraska; Nevada; New Mexico

Scope and Contents

Portraits in Nebraska include: a man holding a cat; workers with tools (possibly plumbers); girls with large hoops; soldiers. Nevada portraits include: a soldier with sword; two boys with two sheep.
Box 31

Oklahoma and Indian Territory; Oregon

Scope and Contents

Oklahoma portraits include: soldiers; painters; two women looking at a photograph album. Oregon portraits include: a cowboy wearing a pony skin coat posing with his family; soldiers or officers; a Chinese man in traditional Chinese clothing.
Box 32

Texas; Utah

Scope and Contents

Texas portraits include: an African American teenage boy; soldiers or officers. There is an outdoor image of a house with a cross and American flags (Salt Lake City, Utah).
Box 33

Washington; Wisconsin; Wyoming

Scope and Contents

Wisconsin portraits include: a man wearing Viking-style clothing; workers with tools (a machinist and carpenters); men wearing fur coats; a man with blanket and small medicine bag, identified as "Dr. Cole of West Lima." One portrait of a man wearing railroad uniform, identified as a Union Pacific brakeman.
Box 27

Traveling photographers

Scope and Contents

One portrait of three theater performers, including a clown (California); two men in boxing pose, with the interior walls of studio and roof skylight showing in photograph.
Box 27

Canada

Scope and Contents

Eight portraits from British Columbia and western Canada.
Collection Contents
Cartes-de-visite (photographs)
Cabinet photographs
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