This collection consists of the personal correspondence of American portraitist and landscape painter Orrin Peck (1860-1921) and his sister, Janet Peck. The collection contains references to various artists, musicians, authors, and public figures chiefly from the 1890s-1910s.

Orrin M. Peck (1860-1921) was born in Hobart, New York in 1860, the son of James and Margaret H. Peck and brother to Helen P. Sanborn and Janet M. (Janet Moore) Peck (b. 1878). In 1862, on the steamship Sonora bound for San Francisco from Panama, his mother, Margaret H. Peck, met Phoebe Apperson Hearst (1842-1919) and took care of the then- pregnant bride. Orrin became a close friend of Phoebe’s son, William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), and was even the best man at his wedding. With funding from Phoebe Apperson Hearst, Peck studied art in Munich and collaborated with Carl von Marr (1858-1936) on some of his work. Peck became an accomplished portrait and landscape painter and had his works exhibited in London, Munich, and the United States. He was commissioned to paint portraits of Mrs. Hearst and William Randolph Hearst. Peck traveled to San Francisco from Europe periodically up until World War I and in 1912 he returned to San Francisco permanently. He was with William Randolph Hearst in New York and Florida before being hired to design the landscaping for his San Simeon home in California in 1920. Peck died suddenly in Los Angeles in 1921.

3,547 pieces in 17 boxes and 1 oversize folder

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.