Finding Aid to the Laura Adams Armer Photograph Collection PC-RM-Armer

Jaime Henderson
California Historical Society
July 2018
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
reference@calhist.org


Language of Material: English
Contributing Institution: California Historical Society
Title: Laura Adams Armer photograph collection
Creator: Armer, Laura Adams, 1874-1963
Identifier/Call Number: PC-RM-Armer
Physical Description: 1.42 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): circa 1899-1939
Abstract: Collection consists of one photograph album and 57 photographic prints taken by photographer Laura Adams Armer in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1899 and 1939. The photograph album includes portraits of family and community members, political candidates, artists, photographers, sculptors and writers. The mounted photographic prints depict various locations in San Francisco, including Chinatown, the waterfront, Telegraph Hill, downtown, and general views of the city. Most photographs show scenic views with people, particularly children. Mounted photographic prints also include portraits of subjects known to Laura Adams Armer.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in English.

Scope and Content

Collection consists of one photograph album and 57 photographic prints taken by photographer Laura Adams Armer in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1899 and 1939. The photograph album includes portraits of family and prominent community members and political candidates, including Sidney Armer; the Chabot family children; David Farguharson, architect; W.H. Beatty, chief justice of the California supreme court; two members of the Toklas family; Lewis F. Cockroft of the Oceanic Steamship Company; and Austin Lewis, the Socialist party candidate for governor of California in 1906. Includes many photos of artists and writers, such as Arthur Matthews, Anne Bremer, Boardman Robinson, and Royal Cortissoz. There are also portraits of photographers William Dassonville and Oscar Maurer, and sculptor Robert Aitken. The bulk of photographic prints are mounted and depict various locations in San Francisco, including Chinatown, the waterfront, Telegraph Hill, downtown, and general views of the city. Most photographs show scenic views with people, particularly children. There are also portraits of people, including Charles Keeler; Anne Brigman; Sarah Whitney; Arthur Matthews; Oscar V. Lange; Lucy Snow Penfield; an unidentified male and female couple and an unidentified woman seated under a tree.

Biographical / Historical

Laura Adams Armer was born in Sacramento, California in 1874, and moved with her family to San Francisco sometime before 1880. Armer attended the California School of Design in the Mark Hopkins Institute, but left school in 1899 to open a photographic studio in the Flood Building. Adams enjoyed a short career as a published and exhibited photographer before marrying Sidnery Armer and relocating to Berkeley. Armer continued to photograph in the early 1900s, becoming particularly fascinated with the Hope and Navajo of the American Southwest who she documented in both photographs and writings. She died in 1963.

Conditions Governing Access

CHS is not taking appointments for research at this time. Please check the Library's website updates: https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/collections/north-baker-research-library/ 

Conditions Governing Use

The California Historical Society (CHS) has no information about copyright ownership for this collection and is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from it.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Laura Adams Armer and Sidney Armer, 1958.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item, date]; Laura Adams Armer photograph collection, PC-RM-Armer; [box number, folder number]; California Historical Society.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Photograph albums
Photographic prints
Portrait photographs
Chinatown (San Francisco, Calif.)
Chinese Americans -- California -- San Francisco
San Francisco (California)
Telegraph Hill (San Francisco, Calif.)
Waterfronts -- California -- San Francisco

Box 2, Folders 1-5

Chinatown

Scope and Contents

Contains photographs of San Francisco's Chinatown depicting residents, merchants, and children. Also shows buildings, storefronts and other architectural features in Chinatown.
Box 2, Folders 6-8

San Francisco Waterfront

Scope and Contents

Contains photographs of the San Francisco waterfront, showing fishing boats, sail boats and ships. Also depicts men fishing and working on ships along the waterfront.
Box 2, Folders 9-10

San Francisco Telegraph Hill

Scope and Contents

Contains photographs showing children playing outside of buildings located on Telegraph Hill, San Francisco.
Box 2, Folder 11

San Francisco Downtown

Scope and Contents

Photographs show general views of downtown San Francisco.
Box 2, Folder 12

San Francisco general views

Scope and Contents

Contains photographs showing a man and horse at Golden Gate Park with windmill in background; an ocean view scene with sailboat; and a view from Potrero Hill.
Box 2, Folder 13

Portraits

Scope and Contents

Contains portraits taken by Laura Adams Armer of Charles Keeler; Anne Brigman; Sarah Whitney; Arthur Matthews; Oscar V. Lange; Lucy Snow Penfield; and one unidentified couple-an old man and woman. Also includes one Berkeley photograph of a person seated under a tree.
Box 1

Photograph album

Scope and Contents

Contains portraits by Laura Adams Armer of family and community members, many of them well known. Included are: Sidney Armer; the Chabot family children; David Farguharson, architect; W.H. Beatty, chief justice of the California supreme court; two members of the Toklas family; Lewis F. Cockroft of the Oceanic Steamship Company; and Austin Lewis, the Socialist party candidate for governor of California in 1906. Includes many photos of artists and writers, such as Arthur Matthews, Anne Bremer, Boardman Robinson, and Royal Cortissoz. There are also portraits of photographers William Dassonville and Oscar Maurer, and sculptor Robert Aitken.