Description
The Elise Stern Haas Family Photograph Collection contains circa 5,700 photographic prints taken from ca. 1855 to ca. 1987.
The collection also contains circa 660 negatives, and circa 65 postcards, drawings, manuscripts, slides and other miscellaneous
items. Compiled by Elise Stern Haas throughout her lifetime, the collection offers a broad pictorial sweep of several generations
of a distinguished Bay Area family. The primary focus of the collection is Elise Stern Haas and her husband Walter A. Haas,
Sr. Also pictured prominently are their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; their parents and siblings; and
many other relatives, friends, and associates. While not thoroughly representative in its depiction of the family's various
business and civic endeavors, the collection is exceptionally rich in its portrayal of the family's social activities and
leisurely pursuits. A large portion of the collection documents Elise and Walter's travels abroad. Another sizeable portion
depicts family gatherings and recreational outings. Smaller portions of the collection contain material pertaining to the
Sigmund Stern Grove and to the Michael and Sarah Stein Memorial Collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Many
of the nineteenth century photographs contained herein were originally collected by Elise's mother, Rosalie Meyer Stern. Nearly
half of the collection's prints are contained in 29 albums.
Background
Elise Stern Haas was born in San Francisco, California on October 29, 1893, the only child of Rosalie Meyer and Sigmund Stern.
Her father was president of Levi Strauss and Co., and nephew of Levi Strauss, a Bavarian immigrant who founded the San Francisco
firm in 1850.
Extent
ca. 6,425 items: ca. 5,700 photographic prints (ca. 2,700 comprised in 29 albums); ca. 660 negatives; ca. 65 miscellaneous
items (e.g. slides, postcards, drawings, maunscripts).
42 digital objects (42 images)
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish photographs must be submitted
in writing to the Curator of Pictorial Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library
as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must
also be obtained by the reader.
Availability
Permission for the use of negatives, slides, and objects must be obtained in writing from the Curator of the Bancroft Pictorial
Collections or authorized designate.