Description
The Jesse Cook scrapbooks consist of thirty-nine volumes containing an estimated 12,000 items, including photographs, newspaper
clippings, and ephemera, primarily centering on the history of San Francisco and police activity in the city. The collection
is thought to have once numbered fifty scrapbooks.
Background
Jesse Brown Cook (1860-1938) was a member of the San Francisco Police Department from the 1890s to the 1930s. He began as
a beat cop, and then rose through the ranks to become Sergeant of the Chinatown Squad; he retired as Chief of Police and later
returned to the force as Police Commissioner. Before his years of service in the police force he studied taxidermy, worked
as a sailor, drayman, and butcher, and toured Europe as a contortionist. His police career began in San Antonio and San Diego
before he relocated to San Francisco.
Extent
39 albums containing ca. 8000 photographic prints and ca. 4000 newspaper clippings and ephemera; 14< x 10< in.
4131 digital objects
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
Collection is available for use.