Howard W. Wright Family Collection of Photographs, approximately 1878-1930, bulk 1896-1917

Summary

Creators:

Wright family.

Abstract:

The Howard W. Wright Family Collection of Photographs contains approximately 1520 photographs in eleven volumes, comprising four journal accounts written by Walter S. Wright from 1899-1901 and illustrated using photographs, and seven photograph albums compiled by Walter S. Wright and his son, Howard Walter Wright, with photographs dating from approximately 1878-1930 (chiefly 1896-1917). The photographers are chiefly unidentified, though it is assumed that most were taken by members of the Wright family, chiefly Walter S. Wright and Howard Walter Wright. The text in the journals, which contain approximately 210 photographs, concerns family life in Pasadena; Walter S. Wright's travels to Sonora, Mexico with business partners in order to gain a railroad concession for the Los Pintos Mines; and a cruise taken by the Wright family to the Channel Islands, in which Howard W. Wright engaged in bird collecting and observation, and photography. The photograph albums, which contain approximately 1310 photographs, document the Wright family's life in Pasadena; its travels to Mount Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Catalina Island, and other areas of California; trips aboard the Wright family yachts Seabird and Siwash to the Channel Islands and to various sites in Mexico, including for birding expeditions; Howard W. Wright's years as a student at Stanford University (from 1911-1915); his travels in Japan, China, and the Philippines; and his service in the United States Navy during World War I.

Extent:

approximately 1520 photographs in 11 volumes comprising 4 journals and 7 photograph albums in 4 boxes: chiefly gelatin silver prints ; journals 21 x 38 cm (8 x 15 in.) and 21 x 26 cm (8 x 10 in.), photograph albums various sizes, 29 x 38 cm (11 x 15 in.) and smaller, prints various sizes, 21 x 24 cm (8 x 9 in.) and smaller, chiefly 17 x 12 cm (7 x 5 in.) and smaller

Language:

English.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains approximately 1520 photographs in 11 volumes, comprising four journal accounts written by Walter Savage Wright from 1899-1901 and 7 photograph albums compiled by Walter S. Wright and his son, Howard Walter Wright. The journal accounts contain approximately 210 photographs and the photograph albums approximately 1310 photographs, dating from approximately 1878-1930, chiefly 1896-1917. The photographers are chiefly unidentified, though it is assumed that most were taken by members of the Wright family, chiefly Walter S. Wright and Howard Walter Wright; some photographs were taken by commercial photographers.

The journal accounts, entitled The Wrights in 1899 (Volume I); How Thompson Shows his Mines (1899, Volume II); About that Mexican Trip: How they Landed the Concession for the Railroad for Exploiting Los Pintos Mines (1900, Volume III); and A Summer Cruise (1901, Volume IV), are typewritten, with photographs pasted in to accompany the text; the titles are printed on the volumes. Topics addressed in the journals include the Wrights' family life in Pasadena; Walter S. Wright's journeys to Sonora, Mexico, with business partners to secure a railroad concession for the Los Pintos Mines; and a cruise taken by the Wright family to the Channel Islands in 1899, so that son Howard W. Wright could engage in bird collecting and photography.

The photograph albums depict the Wrights' life and residence in Pasadena; the family's travels to Mount Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Catalina Island, and other areas of California; trips aboard the yachts Seabird and Siwash to the Channel Islands; Baja, Mexico; and and other destinations, both for family vacations and for Howard Walter Wright's exploits as a bird collector and birder; Howard W. Wright's years as a student at Stanford University (1911-1915) and his tours in Japan, China, and the Philippines during his service in the Navy during World War I. Titles for the photograph albums were devised by the cataloger.

Biographical / historical:

The family of Howard Walter Wright (1892-1977) included his father, Walter Savage Wright (1854-1915); his mother, Bernice Long (1861-1931); and his sisters, Adaline Wright (1888-1935) and Catherine Wright (1895-1942).

Walter Savage Wright was City Attorney for Pasadena, California. In 1898 and 1899, Wright and business partners, including J. H. Holmes (sometimes known as James or John H. Holmes), who was then manager of the Hotel Green in Pasadena, traveled to Mexico in order to secure concessions from the Mexican government for a railroad in Western Mexico, proposed for the purpose of developing the property of the Los Pintos Gold Mining Company. Other partners in this venture included Pasadena business leader William R. Staats, who was a developer and owner of the Mount Wilson Toll Road, along with Holmes and Walter S. Wright; Colonel C. P. Morehouse of Pasadena; and J. D. Thompson of Los Angeles, manager of the Bonanza mine at Quitovaca in Sonora, Mexico.

Howard Walter Wright was a bird collector and observer, writer, lawyer, and lifelong Pasadena resident. A graduate of Throop Polytechnic Institute and Stanford University, Howard W. Wright began observing and collecting birds while still in high school, traveling primarily to the Channel Islands, initially on his sailboat, Seabird, and then on the yacht that his father gave him in 1911, the Siwash. Howard W. Wright undertook many birding expeditions with friends and family from 1908-1916, at times accompanied by ornithologists. He gathered bald eagle eggs on Santa Catalina Island in 1909; cruised around the Channel Islands with a friend from Stanford in 1912, visiting Santa Barbara, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, San Miguel, and Prince Islands; and in 1913 went on a birding expedition to San Martin Island in Mexico on the Siwash. From 1908-1913, he wrote six articles about his exploits, published in The Condor: A Magazine of Western Ornithology, some illustrated with his photographs.

Howard W. Wright married Ruth Casner Shelton (1893-1967) in 1916 and traveled to Japan, China, and the Philippines; during World War I, he served in the U.S. Navy. Returning home from his service, Wright gave up bird collecting to devote himself to his career as a Los Angeles-based attorney. A member of the California and American Bar Associations, he also served as commodore of the Los Angeles Yacht Club and the Trans-Pacific Yacht Club, and for 35 years held the sailing record around Santa Catalina Island. In 1956, after 45 years of sailing, he gave the Siwash to his son, Howard Walter Wright, Jr., and the boat remained in the family, passing on to Wright's grandson, marine biologist Dr. William G. Wright. Upon Wright's death in 1977, his ashes were scattered at sea.

Acquisition information:

Gift of the estate of Howard W. Wright, May 31, 1978.

Arrangement:

The volumes were organized and numbered by the cataloger by format and then in chronological order. The collection is arranged in the following two series:

• Series I. Journals, 1899-1901
  • Subseries A. The Wrights in 1899 (Volume I)
  • Subseries B. How Thompson Shows His Mines (Volume II)
  • Subseries C. About that Mexican Trip: How they Landed the Concession for the Railroad for Exploiting Los Pintos Mines (Volume III)
  • Subseries D. A Summer Cruise (Volume IV)
• Series II. Photograph albums, approximately 1878-1930, bulk 1896-1917
  • Subseries A. The Wright Family: Home and Travels (Volume V)
  • Subseries B. Pasadena, Catalina Island, San Gabriel Mountains, and Mexico (Volume VI)
  • Subseries C. The Wright Family Album (Volume VII)
  • Subseries D. Channel Islands and Mexico (Volume VIII)
  • Subseries E. Stanford University (Volume IX)
  • Subseries F. Japan, China, and Philippines; World War I Naval Service; Baja, Mexico and Channel Islands (Volume X)
  • Subseries G. Miscellaneous photographs (Volume XI)

Rules or conventions:

Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:

Americans -- Mexico -- Photographs.
Birds -- California -- Channel Islands (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Birds -- California -- Santa Catalina Island (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Birds -- Collection and preservation -- Photographs.
Birds -- Eggs -- Photographs.
Birds -- Mexico -- Photographs.
Bullfighting -- Ensenada (Baja California, Mexico) -- Photographs.
Camping -- California -- Photographs.
Camp sites, facilities, etc. -- California -- San Gabriel Mountains -- Photographs.
Children -- Photographs.
Dwellings -- California -- Pasadena -- Photographs.
Families -- Photographs.
Fires -- California -- Avalon -- Photographs.
Fishing -- California -- Santa Catalina Island -- Photographs.
Gardens -- California -- Pasadena -- Photographs.
Gold mines and mining -- Mexico -- Photographs.
Greek letter societies -- California -- Photographs.
Hiking -- California -- Photographs.
Hotels -- California -- Photographs.
Imperialism -- United States.
Indians of Mexico -- Mexico, North -- Photographs.
Leisure -- California -- Santa Catalina Island -- Photographs.
Markets -- Mexico -- Photographs.
Mines and mineral resources -- Mexico, North.
Photography -- Political aspects -- Mexico.
Railroads -- Mexico.
Ships -- California -- Photographs.
Soldiers -- Mexico -- Photographs.
Storm surges -- California -- Avalon -- Photographs.
Vacations -- Photographs.
Warships -- Photographs.
World War, 1914-1918-- Naval operations, American -- Photographs.
Yacht racing -- Photographs.
Yachting -- Photographs.
Yachts -- Photographs.
Cyanotypes.
Journals (accounts).
Panoramas.
Photograph albums.
Photographs.
Portraits.

Restrictions:

The collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, please visit the Huntington's website: www.huntington.org.

Location of this collection:

Huntington Library, Photo Archives Collections

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, CA 91108, US

Contact:

(626) 405-2129

reference@huntington.org

Website