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
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