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Finding Aid to the Photographic Print Files of the Fang Family San Francisco
Examiner Photograph Archive, circa 1874-2000 (bulk 1911-2000)
BANC PIC 2006.029--PIC
BANC PIC 2006.029--PIC
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Contributing Institution:
The Bancroft Library
Title: Photographic Print Files of the Fang Family San Francisco Examiner Photograph
Archive
Creator:
San Francisco Examiner (Firm)
Identifier/Call Number: BANC PIC 2006.029--PIC
Physical Description:
1,000,000 photographs
(approximately 1 million photographic prints in 1,075 cartons
and 258 oversize boxes)
Date (inclusive): approximately
1874-2000
Date (bulk): 1911-2000
Physical Location: Many Bancroft Library collections are
stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the
location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Abstract: The San Francisco Examiner photographic
print files consist of the news photographs collected by the San Francisco Examiner library.
Many are prints from negatives shot by staff photographers, while others originated with
wire services or as submissions from individuals or agencies. The photographs encompass the
full spectrum of local, national, and international events, including state, local, and
national government, politics, military conflicts, society, sports, fashion, the arts,
crime, accidents, transportation, urban and suburban development, and human interest
stories.
Language of Material:
English .
Collection is open for research.
Gift, in 2006, of the SF Newspaper Company, LLC, in consultation with the Fang family of
San Francisco, former owners of the San Francisco Examiner.
The San Francisco Examiner was acquired by George Hearst in 1880 and given to his son,
William Randolph Hearst, in 1887. It was the founding cornerstone of the Hearst media
empire, and remained part of the Hearst Corporation's holdings until it was sold, in 2000,
to the Fang family of San Francisco. In 2004 the Examiner was sold again, to Philip
Anschutz's Clarity Media Group.
- Finding Aid Author(s):
- Bancroft Library Staff
- 2012 Finding Aid Encoded By:
- GenX
- 2024 Revised Finding Aid Encoded By:
- ArchivesSpace
[Identification of item], Photographic Print Files of the Fang Family San Francisco
Examiner Photograph Archive, BANC PIC 2006.029--PIC, The Bancroft Library, University of
California, Berkeley
Arrangement and description were undertaken with the support of a Hidden Collections Grant
from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), from 2009 through 2012.
Additional description (folder listing for People files "L-") continued in 2020-2023.
Scope and Content of Collection
The San Francisco Examiner photographic print files consist of the news photographs
collected by the San Francisco Examiner library. Many are prints from negatives shot by
staff photographers, while others originated with wire services or as submissions from
individuals or agencies. The photographs encompass the full spectrum of local, national, and
international events, including state, local, and national government, politics, military
conflicts, society, sports, fashion, the arts, crime, accidents, transportation, urban and
suburban development, and human interest stories. While some submitted photographs date to
the 19th century, the vast majority are 20th century.
While national and international news events and personalities are likely to have
originated with wire services or other agencies, photographic prints covering local San
Francisco Bay Area news were chiefly made by Examiner photographers. The presence of a print
in these files suggests the image ran in the newspaper, or was seriously considered for
publication. The vast majority of negatives shot by staff photographers were, however, never
printed or published. Therefore far more local news images are present among the 3.6 million
negatives in the San Francisco examiner photograph archive negative files, described in a
separate online finding aid.
The photographic print files were received in poor condition and disarray and have been
returned to their original order, which consists of three series: Location (originally
designated as "Places" by the Examiner staff), People, and Subject. Photographs are filed
alphabetically within each series. Each envelope heading in the Location and Subject series
is listed in this finding aid. Envelope headings for the People series have been recorded
only for cartons P001 through P470 (last names A – Li); cartons P471 to P865 (last names Liv
– Z) are listed more generally, as an alphabetical range present in the carton. (In other
words, no folder-level listing is available for last names Liv – Z, so carton contents will
have to be checked for any given name in this range.)
These photographic print files are not complete and intact. There are many empty envelopes in the collection, and many files
are no doubt missing entirely. Empty envelopes are listed in this finding aid, and the fact that they are empty is recorded
in the "scope and content" note of relevant records. Perhaps 30% or more of the files were removed in about 2005 by the prior
owner, prior to donation to the University, because they were judged to be marketable. Many were sold over the years via online
auction sites such as eBay. The files received by the University tend to lack celebrity photographs, rock or pop music bands
and performers, movie stars and television personalities, major sports figures, or other images deemed to be highly collectible.
One example of major news imagery that is largely absent are the famous Peoples Temple photographs taken at Jonestown, Guyana
by murdered Examiner photographer Greg Robinson. Some oversize prints survive (see BANC PIC 2006.088), but most of the prints
were sold at auction before the archive was donated. While historically valuable images of local and national news remain,
and local scenes and events are well represented, users cannot rely on known published images being present in
these files, nor can they rely on the files being an accurate reflection of the archive as it existed as a functioning part
of the Examiner Library prior to 2000.
Many of the photographs from the early 1970's through the late 1980's are stabilization prints, printed rapidly for immediate
use. These prints are unstable and tend to have faded with time.
Received with approximately 3.6 million photographic negatives (BANC PIC 2006.029--NEG),
100 linear feet of publisher's correspondence, microfilmed clippings files (BANC MSS
2006/160), and over 900 volumes of bound copies of the newspaper. A small number of
photographic prints related to the Peoples Temple and Jonestown, Guyana, have been cataloged
separately (BANC PIC 2006.088).
Copyright to photographs taken by staff photographers of the San Francisco Examiner in this
collection has been assigned to the University of California Regents. Only the photographs
created by these staff photographers in this collection are made available under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 license (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The following attribution is required for all uses of these photographs: Fang family San
Francisco examiner photograph archive © The Regents of the University of California, The
Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. This work is made available under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction
of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond
that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.)--Pictorial works
San Francisco (Calif.)--Pictorial works
Photographs
Photograph morgues
News photographs