Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Sunset Magazine records
- Dates:
- 1931-1998, bulk 1948-1969 ; 1977-1998
- Creators:
- Sunset Magazine (Firm) and Sunset Magazine (Firm)
- Abstract:
- The records of Sunset Magazine primarily consist of over 100,000 photographs as published in the magazine from 1948-1969 and 1977-1998.
- Extent:
- 172 Linear Feet (437 boxes, 2 map folders)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[identification of item], Sunset Magazine records (M2065). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Following Sunset's move to Oakland from their iconic Willow West offices in Menlo Park in 2015, the magazine gave a great deal of material to Stanford University. The main part of the collection consists of the magazine's photo archive (frequently refered to as a periodical's "morgue") with prints, slides, transparencies and layouts from issues dating from 1948 to 1998, with an unfortunate gap from 1970 to 1976. There is also a small amount of administrative files, as well as sales presentation transcripts, advertising proofs, staff newsletters, a scrapbook, posters reproducing covers, and audiovisual media including a 1980 oral history with senior staff. Also present is a series of mounted photographs and depicting California Missions in the late 1930s and early 40s by Henry P. Schmidt from an exhibition sponsored by Sunset's Lane Publishing Company.
Sunset's photograph files contain approximately 100,000 photos. Prints are numbered "month-year-sequence" such as 1-85-001 for the first photo in the file for the January 1985 issue. The images were originally filed along with a notated issue indicating where the photos were printed as well as clippings from the magazine. Sunset published regional editions (South, North, and Central/Desert) mostly in order to tailor appropriate gardening advice; these are indicated in the listing. Some full issues starting in the late 1960s also include a "Guide for Cost of Contents." Following the last of the regular issue files, there are a few folders of prints from related publications Quick, Light, & Healthy (1997), Western Campsites (1972-1980) and Western Travel Adventures (1978-1980). The photographers most frequently credited on prints include Ged T. Fitzgerald, Robert Cox, Moulin Studios, Jon Brenneis, Ernest Braun, Dennis Galloway, Laing Photos, Russell Illig, Blair Stapp, Tom Burns, and Glenn Christiansen.
While the collection does contain published issues along with selected prints used in them, no effort has been made to describe the images themselves here. Given Sunset's focus as the "Magazine of Western Living," however, one may expect to find photographs of gardening and landscaping, architecture and home improvement, cooking and food, entertaining, travel, nature, and recreation. In order to use the collection, patrons should refer to indices to the magazine.
An index from 1997-2009 is available from Sunset here: http://www.sunset.com/sunset-magazine-annual-index.
As part of a 1998 centennial project, Stanford hosts a bibliography of select articles here: http://web.stanford.edu/dept/SUL/library/sunset-magazine/html.
Physical copies of indices from 1952-2009 printed by Sunset have been cataloged: https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11813180.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Sunset Magazine, 2015.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-02 10:21:22 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for research. Note that material must be requested at least 36 hours in advance of intended use. Audiovisual materials are not available in original format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.
- Terms of access:
-
While Special Collections is the owner of the physical and digital items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. Any transmission or reproduction beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the owners of rights, heir(s) or assigns.
- Preferred citation:
-
[identification of item], Sunset Magazine records (M2065). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
- Location of this collection:
-
Department of Special Collections, Green Library557 Escondido MallStanford, CA 94305-6004, US
- Contact:
- (650) 725-1022