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Thomas Houseworth and Co. stereograph collection
PC RM Houseworth
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
California Historical Society
Creator:
Thomas Houseworth & Co., Publisher
Identifier/Call Number: PC RM Houseworth
Title: Thomas Houseworth and Co. stereograph collection
Date (inclusive): 1868-1869
Physical Description:
.5 box
1 photo box, half of which is Houseworth and Co., and half of
which is Lawrence and Houseworth.
Abstract: Thomas Houseworth and Co. is the
company continued by Thomas Houseworth after his partner George Lawrence retired in 1869.
Houseworth was an optometrist and stereograph merchant located in San Francisco, Calif. The
images in this collection contain reprints of Lawrence and Houseworth images, as well as
newly created images. Houseworth was a major player in the stereograph market until the
early 1870s, and he took numerous measures to make sure his work remained viable, including
introducing new formats and competing with rival stereograph publishers.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in
English.
Lawrence retired from Lawrence and Houseworth between 1867 and 1868, and Houseworth took
over the business, renaming it Thomas Houseworth and Co., while still also offering
optometry services. He introduced many new categories of views at this time, and was still
offering views once sold by Lawrence and Houseworth. New images were also produced, likely
between 1868 and 1869, and Houseworth hired a number of new employees. The stereoscopic
market was lucrative and quite competitive, and Houseworth wanted to maintain his dominance
of the market. He even moved his business to a more tourist-friendly location, at No. 9
Montgomery Street, underneath the Lick House (a lavish hotel). However, business began to
decline after losing a bid to competitor Bradley and Rulofson to publish Eadweard
Muybridge's new series of views. The stereoscopic market in general was also on the decline.
In 1874, he moved his business again – opening a "photographic parlor" across the street
from his old location. He offered a new series of nearly 3,000 cabinet cards, which he
called "Houseworth's Celebrities" and which depicted famous theater actors and actresses, as
well as athletes and politicians, and which were quite popular. Houseworth continued working
at this location until 1886, and retired from photography in 1894.
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/
Materials in this collection are in the public domain in the United States. Permission to
publish or reproduce is not required.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection is comprised of multiple donations from various donors. Please see collection
files for more information.
[Identification of item, date]; Houseworth and Co. stereograph collection,
PC-RM-Houseworth; [box number, folder number]; California Historical Society.
The collection contains 105 albumen stereographs printed between 1868-1869 depicting street
scenes, buildings, and industry in San Francisco. There are numerous images of the redwoods
of Calaveras County, Calif., and of Donner Lake. There are photographs of nature, including
the Yosemite Valley, the geysers of Sonoma County and the lighthouses of Mendocino. The
collection also includes photographs of Lake Tahoe and of mining towns in Nevada. There's a
series devoted to the Central Pacific Railroad and to the Western Pacific Railroad. There
are also images of some of the indigenous people of California.
The collection comprises one series of stereographs arranged in numerical order using
Houseworth's original numbering system, as it appeared in his fifth edition catalogue in
1869. The numbers and titles are printed on the cards themselves, and were verified using
Peter Palmquist's
Lawrence and Houseworth / Thomas Houseworth and
Co.: A Unique View of the West 1860-1886
(National Stereoscopic Association,
1980).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Stereographs
Optometry
Yosemite Valley (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
San Francisco (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Oakland (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Calaveras County (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Donner Lake (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Placer County (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Sonoma County (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Nevada County (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Giant sequoia -- Pictorial works
Mines and mineral resources -- California -- Pictorial works
Plants -- California -- Pictorial works
Railroads -- West (U.S.) -- Pictorial works