Conditions Governing Access
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Arrangement
Preferred Citation
Processing Information
Scope and Content
Conditions Governing Use
Identifier/Call Number: PC 037
Title: Stereograph collection
Date (inclusive): 1846-1940
Physical Description:
2 Linear Feet
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
California Historical Society
Abstract: This is a collection documenting the
history and production of stereographs by various publishers and photographers throughout
the United States, but especially in California. The items in the collection date from
approximately 1846-1940, when stereograph technology began to be replaced by moving images,
and depict a variety of extremely wide-ranging subjects, from the 1906 San Francisco
earthquake to the building of the Panama Canal. The West, as a landscape and a subject of
interest, is well documented here, as are views of California and Yosemite in particular.
Reflected here, too, are innovations in stereograph production technology, from door-to-door
salesmanship to the automated production techniques invented by H.C. White.
Language of Material: Collection materials are in
English.
Conditions Governing Access
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection is comprised of multiple donations from various donors. Please see collection
files for more information.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged alphabetically into series according to the name of the
publisher or photographer. Individual biographies of each publisher or company appear at the
series level, in addition to relevant subject headings. Some publishers, such as L.M. Barney
and Andrew Price, do not have biographies, as there is little or no available information
about them. Within each series, views are organized according to the original photographer's
number, usually printed in the lower right corner on the front of each card. Any additional
information printed on the front or back of card has been recorded, except in the case of
very long subject descriptions. At the end of the alphabetical listing of publishers names
are two miscellaneous categories – "Single stereographs by known publishers" and "Publisher
unknown."
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item, date]; Stereograph collection, PC-37; [box number]; California
Historical Society.
Processing Information
The collection was processed by Erin Hurley in 2019. The M.M. Hazeltine, John P. Soule, and
J.J. Reilly stereograph collections were previously processed by Wendy Welker in 2009.
Scope and Content
This stereograph collection is comprised of 513 stereographs that date from approximately
1846-1940. There are stereoviews from 24 different publishers and photographers, made up of
donations from a many different donors, many unknown. Additionally, there are 21 images with
no identifying information at the end of the finding aid. Stereograph publishers often
bought other photographers' negatives, and there was much sharing and republishing of the
work of certain photographers, sometimes making it difficult to identify the original
creator.
The collection is comprised of smaller, Bay Area-based photographers like M.M. Hazeltine
and O.V. Lange, as well as larger, more established East coast-based stereograph publishers
like Keystone View Company and Underwood and Underwood. Thus, the views represented vary
widely and include views as far ranging as Alaska, Panama, and Seoul, Korea. The
predominance of Bay Area and West coast photographers in the collection means that the
majority of images are of California and related subjects such as Yosemite and the 1906 San
Francisco earthquake and its aftermath. There are numerous views of San Francisco and its
notable features, including the Cliff House, the Baldwin Hotel, Woodward's Gardens, and
Golden Gate Park. There are also views of other California cities, such as Sonora, Eureka,
and Mendocino, and views that document the growth of railroads and of industries such as
mining and lumbering. There is a series of views by M. Rieder documenting Southern
California locations such as Long Beach, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Catalina Island.
Additionally, there are some whimsical, difficult-to-categorize stereographs of President
and Mrs. McKinley, a "skeleton leaves" arrangement, and a playful series depicting a
wedding.
Conditions Governing Use
Materials in this collection are in the public domain in the United States. Permission to
publish or reproduce is not required.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Stereographs
Landscapes -- California -- Pictorial works