William Rich Hutton Papers, 1840-1861

Summary

Creators:

Hutton, Wm. R. (William Rich), 1826-1901

Abstract:

This collection contains 96 drawings, 14 original letters, and 39 facsimiles of letters and manuscripts of California surveyor, topographer, and engineer William Rich Hutton (1826-1901). Includes both watercolor and pencil drawings of California (including Los Angeles, Monterey, San Francisco, the New Almaden Quicksilver Mine, and the California Missions), Baja California, Mexico, and Peru.

Extent:

3.4 Linear Feet (3 boxes)

Language:

English.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Rich Hutton papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains 96 drawings, 14 original letters, and 39 facsimiles of letters and manuscripts.

The illustrative material includes both watercolor and pencil drawings of California (including Los Angeles, Monterey, San Francisco, the New Almaden Quicksilver Mine, and the California Missions), Baja California, Mexico, and Peru. The ones in color are noted below in the container list. One of the drawings is a facsimile (FAC 1010).

The majority of letters by William Rich Hutton are written to his uncle William Rich and his mother Salome Rich Hutton. There is also some correspondence between William Rich Hutton and his brother James D. Hutton. There are also letters by author María Amparo Ruiz de Burton (these letters are in Spanish), California Governor Persifor Frazer Smith, and Henry Wager Halleck. Some subjects of the correspondence include: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Benjamin Davis Wilson, Edward Otho Cresap Ord, William Goodwin Dana and his Nipomo Ranch (Dana Adobe), the New Almaden Mine, geologist Louis Agassiz, Henry H. Burton, Jessie Benton Frémont, and the Civil War in Washington DC and Baltimore. There are several facsimiles of manuscripts by William Rich Hutton, mostly anecdotes about his time in California.

Note: FAC 1010 is physically located after drawing #32.

Biographical / historical:

William Rich Hutton (1826-1901), surveyor, topographer, and engineer, came to California in 1847 as a clerk with his uncle, Major William Rich, paymaster for U.S. volunteer troops. For the next six years, Hutton was employed as a surveyor and draftsman. During this time he made watercolor and pencil drawings of California scenes. In 1853 he returned to the East and worked as an engineer on various projects including the Washington Bridge and Hudson River Tunnel in New York City. Hutton's younger brother, James D. Hutton, was also a topographer and artist.

Acquisition information:

Gift and purchase from Mary A. Hutton, 1939-1946; photostat (FAC 817) from John J. Lynch, City Clerk, San Jose, CA, December 26, 1939; and photostat (FAC 1010) from California Historical Society, San Francisco.

Arrangement:

Letters and manuscripts are arranged chronologically in one box. Hutton's drawings (96) are arranged in numerical order in the oversize box. Cards are filed in both the alphabetical and chronological sections of the Manuscripts catalog.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Related resources

Alternative form available:

The drawings from this collection have been digitized. Digital reproductions are available in the Huntington Digital Library.

Other descriptive data:

Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssHM 43213-43227, mssFAC 807-845, mssFAC 1010.

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Drafters -- California -- Archives
Missions -- California -- Pictorial works
Surveyors -- California -- Archives
Drawings -- California -- 19th century
Drawings Mexico Baja -- California -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- California -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) Mexico Baja -- California -- 19th century
Watercolors -- California -- 19th century
Watercolors Mexico Baja -- California -- 19th century

Names:

New Almaden Quicksilver Mines (Calif.) -- Pictorial works.
Agassiz, Louis, 1807-1873
Burton, Henry H.
Dana, William Goodwin, 1797-1858
Frémont, Jessie Benton, 1824-1902
Halleck, H. W. (Henry Wager), 1815-1872
Hutton, James D.
Ord, Edward Otho Cresap, 1818-1883
Rich, William, 1800-1864
Ruiz de Burton, María Amparo, 1832-1895
Smith, Persifor Frazer, 1798-1858
Wilson, Benjamin Davis, 1811-1878

Places:

Baja California (Mexico : Peninsula) -- Pictorial works
California -- Description and travel
California -- Pictorial works
California -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
California -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Description and travel
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Mexico -- Pictorial works
Monterey (Calif.) -- Description and travel
Monterey (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
Monterey (Calif.) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Monterey (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Peru -- Pictorial works
San Francisco (Calif.) -- Description and travel
San Francisco (Calif.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
San Francisco (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Santa Barbara (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Anecdotes.

Restrictions:

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

Terms of access:

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.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Rich Hutton papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:

Huntington Library, Manuscript Collections

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, CA 91108, US

Contact:

(626) 405-2191

reference@huntington.org

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