Guide to the Mrs. Fremont Older Photograph Collection 2018.03.15

Andrea Hoff
Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
© 2018 Santa Clara University. All rights reserved.
Santa Clara University Library
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California 95053-0500
Email: specialcollections@scu.edu


Language of Material: English
Contributing Institution: Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
Title: Mrs. Fremont Older Photograph Collection
source: Spearman, Arthur D.
creator: Older, Fremont, Mrs. (Cora Miranda Baggerly Older), 1875-1968
Identifier/Call Number: 2018.03.15
Physical Description: 2.37 linear feet (2 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1854-1965, & undated
Language of Material: English
Physical Location: This collection is located in Santa Clara University's Archives and Special Collections.
Abstract: The Mrs. Fremont Older Photograph Collection, 1854-1965, consists of photographs collected by author and historian Cora Miranda Baggerly Older (commonly referred to as Mrs. Fremont Older). The bulk of the collection consists of photographs of San Francisco, as well as various other sites in California, the CA missions and portraits of noted Californians. The collection consists of one series: Series I. Photographs.

Scope and Content of the Collection

The Mrs. Fremont Older Photograph Collection, 1854-1965, consists of one album of photographs featuring shots of San Francisco from the mid to late 19th century. Many of the photographs are wide-angle views of the city, however, some photos focus on specific buildings and streets. There are also several folders of photos of various sites in California, including the California missions. In addition, there are several folders of portraits photographs of early settlers and other people of importance to the history of California. Many of the photographs appear to have been used as illustrations in one or more of Mrs. Fremont Older's books. The collection includes several photos of Cora and her husband, Fremont Older.

Organizational History

Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College and is California's oldest operating institution of higher learning. It was established on the grounds of Mission Santa Clara de Asìs, the eighth of the original 21 California missions. The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses of collegiate rank until 1853. The institution became known as the University of Santa Clara in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law were added. For 110 years, Santa Clara University was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and Santa Clara University became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The number of students and faculty tripled over the next decade and the university began the largest building program in school history with eight residence halls, a student union, and an athletic stadium. In the early 1970s, the Board of Trustees voted to limit the size of the undergraduate population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and ensure the quality of the university for generations to come. In 1985, the university adopted Santa Clara University as its official name.
Bibliography
Santa Clara University. "About SCU – History." www.scu.edu/about/history.cfm (Accessed Nov. 23, 2010)
McKevitt, Gerald, S.J. The University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977 . Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1979.

Processing Information

Collection processed and finding aid written and EAD encoded by Andrea Hoff in 2018.

Access

This collection is open for research.

Biographical History

Cora Miranda Baggerly Older (more commonly known as Mrs. Fremont Older) was born in Clyde, New York, in 1875. She was a noted historian, author, and biographer with a keen interest in California history. At the age of 18, she married Fremont Older, a San Franciscan newspaperman whom she had met in Sacramento during her summer break from Syracuse University.
After moving to California, Cora worked as a reporter and literary editor at the San Francisco Call. She published The Socialist and the Prince , her first novel, in 1903. The book was followed by the publication of The Giants in 1905 and Esther Damon in 1911. During this time, she also wrote articles pertaining to social issues for McClure's magazine. One of her most substantial projects, the biography of Senator George Hearst ( George Hearst: California Pioneer ), was published by a San Francisco printer in 1933. The book was written primarily by Cora, but her husband and William Randolph Hearst assisted in the editing process. A few years later in 1936, she released a biography of publisher William Randolph Hearst ( William Randolph Hearst: American). She later cited this process as the "greatest experience" in her professional writing career. Her final major publication was San Francisco, Magic City , released in 1961.
After her husband passed away in 1935, she actively managed their estate, Woodhills Farm, in Cupertino. She passed away at the age of 93 in 1968.
Bibliography
Coffman, Taylor. "Mrs. Fremont Older: 'The Pink Lady.'" August 2013. Coffmanbooks.com (Accessed 12 February 2018.)

Preferred Citation

Mrs. Fremont Older Photograph Collection, 2018.03.15, Santa Clara University Library, Archives and Special Collections.

Publication Rights

Materials in Archives and Special Collections may be subject to copyright. All requests for permission to publish from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the University Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Archives and Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials, and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials.

Related Materials

Mrs. Fremont Older Papers (PP-Alphabetical Files), MSS-0051, Santa Clara University Archives and Special Collections
Arthur D. Spearman, S.J. Papers,  MSS.2014.08.18, Santa Clara University Library, Archives and Special Collections

Arrangement

This collection consists of one series: Series I. Photographs, 1854-1965, & undated.

Separated Materials

The materials in this collection were originally found in the Arthur D. Spearman, S.J. Papers and were separated in order to aid accessibility.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Californios
California -- History -- Archival resources
California -- History -- 19th century -- Archival resources
Missions -- California
San Francisco (Calif.) -- History
Pioneers -- California
Santa Clara Valley (Santa Clara County, Calif.)
Spearman, Arthur D.

 

SERIES I. Photographs, 1854-1965

 

Box 1: California Missions to Postcards, 1899-1965, & undated

 

Folder 1: California Missions (folder 1 of 2), 1899-1904, & undated

 

Folder 2: California Missions (folder 2 of 2), undated

 

Folder 3: California Sites (folder 1 of 2), 1926, & undated

 

Folder 4: California Sites (folder 2 of 2), 1934, & undated

 

Folder 5: Carmelos Ranch, undated

 

Folder 6: Miscellaneous Photographs, undated

 

Folder 7: Older, Cora & Fremont, 1940-1965, & undated

 

Folder 8: Portraits (folder 1 of 3), undated

 

Folder 9: Portraits (folder 2 of 3), 1918-1926, & undated

 

Folder 10: Portraits (folder 3 of 3), 1939, & undated

 

Folder 11: Postcards, 1912-1962, & undated

 

Box 2: Photo Album, 1854-1881