Description
The collection consists of over 146 black and white photographic prints of motion picture actors and actresses collected by
San Francisco millinery designer Frank Borel. Almost all the photographs are inscribed to Frank Borel and autographed by the
celebrity. Most of the portraits are of people related to motion picture but does include those related to performing arts.
The bulk of the collection is from the 1930s-early 1950s.
Background
Frank Merton Borel was born on September 13, 1887 to Louise and Francois Borel in Alameda County, California. The family moved
to the South of Market, San Francisco by the 1890s. In 1910, Borel began his career as a salesman in a local wholesale millinery
house. Borel traveled to Paris to learn more of the millinery trade. Upon return, he opened his own designing house and hat
salon, Francois, located at 251 Post Street. From the 1930s until his death, Borel lived with his sister and a male assistant
from his hat salon in Ashbury Heights at 187 Delmar Street. A confirmed bachelor, Frank Merton Borel died on February 2, 1954
in San Francisco, California.