Reported to be the largest collection of color slides of early California art, the Nan and Roy Farrington Jones Archive of Early California and Western Art is pertinent to the study of 19th to mid-20th-century artists. The archive contains over 30,000 slide images of paintings showcasing the work of more than 1200 artists. In addition, the archive contains the papers of Nan and Roy Farrington Jones, including correspondence, artist documentation, and public program notes.

Roy Farrington Jones was born February 28, 1925, in Marin County, CA. He married Nancy Hoffman in 1951. Nancy or Nan, was born on July 24, 1920, in Chicago, IL, and moved to California in 1947. Roy and Nan had two daughters together: Catherine Hogan and Pamela Barrie. Roy was a Marin real-estate appraiser for 52 years and was one of the founding directors of what is now Marin Association of Realtors. Roy was also the mayor of Ross. Other positions he held during his political career include Chairman of Marin County’s Assessment Appeals Board (for 37 years until August of 2015), member of Ross Town Council (1962-1978), and member of the County Local Agency Formation Commission for over ten years. Nan had her own photography business for many years. She was also active in the Northgate Group of the Marin Art and Garden Center, as a Girl Scout Leader, Parent-Teachers Association board member and Sunny Hills Auxiliary member. The couple combined their passions for art collecting and photography by photographing works of early western paintings in museums, galleries, and private collections (with permission) throughout California over a period of 30 years. They carefully indexed and organized the resulting collection of 30,000 plus slides. They also gave slide presentations at schools and to other groups. The collection was donated in 2000 to the State Museum Resource Center of California State Parks, located in West Sacramento, CA, and transferred in 2011 to the Crocker Art Museum. Nan died July 2, 2001, in Marin County aged 80. Roy is retired in Ross.

Approximately 40 linear feet comprised of slides, DVDs, index cards, correspondence, program notes, and periodicals in 125 boxes/cartons.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish.

Access is limited to in-person consultation. Call 916-808-8856 or email library@crockerart.org for an appointment. Collection items are for research purposes only. Researchers are responsible for verifying the accuracy of information contained within the collection. Property rights to the physical object belong to the Crocker Art Museum. Due to potential copyright restrictions, reproductions cannot be provided for materials in this collection.