Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Grace Nicholson family photographs
- Dates:
- 1850-1932
- Abstract:
- The collection consists of five daguerreotypes, two ambrotypes, and a cartes-de-visite photograph album featuring Grace Nicholson's ancestors and extended family members.
- Extent:
- 1.01 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item]. Grace Nicholson family photographs, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection consists of five daguerreotypes, two ambrotypes, and a cartes-de-visite photograph album featuring Grace Nicholson's ancestors and extended family members. Two loose photographs are housed in Box 1. Some of the family members depicted in the collection include John Blackie, Elizabeth Blackie, Kate Clawson, James Blackie, William Nicholson, Mary Nicholson, and James B. Nicholson. There is also a baby picture of Grace Nicholson. All of the individuals in the photographs are identified through written captions. Some of the daguerreotypes were taken by Rees & Co. and the remaining photographers are unknown.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Grace Nicholson (1877-1948), a collector and dealer of Native American and Asian arts and crafts, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 31, 1877, the daughter of attorney Franklin Nicholson (1851-1891) and Rose Dennington Nicholson (1855-1878). At the age of thirteen, following the death of her parents, Nicholson went to live with paternal grandparents, William Nicholson (1819-1901) and Mary Nicholson (1824-1901).
Nicholson moved to Pasadena, California in 1901 and a year later started purchasing Native American baskets and artifacts which she sold at her store at 41-43 South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena. Within a few years, she moved her combined home, store, and gallery to 46 North Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena. She traveled throughout Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington studying and purchasing Native American arts and crafts and establishing relationships with the artists, whom she often interviewed and photographed. By the 1910s, Nicholson had shifted to purchasing Asian arts and crafts.
Grace Nicholson died on August 31, 1948.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Peggy A. Bright, September 2025.
- Processing information:
-
Processed at the time of accessioning by Kahlee Leingang in April 2026.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-05-07 11:05:25 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
- 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]. Grace Nicholson family photographs, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2129