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George Sterling's Friends and Family Photograph Album, 1898-1905.
SFP 34
Collection Overview

Title:

George Sterling's Friends and Family Photograph Album, 1898-1905

Abstract:

The bound volume contains 133 gelatin silver and 2 cyanotype prints which document trips that the creator took between 1898 and 1905. Most of the trips take place in Northern California, although the album includes visits to British Columbia, Washington, New York, Maryland, and Maine. Especially notable are two pictures of Jack London in Maine. Northern California scenes include the Call Building in San Francisco and the Key Route, along with Contra Costa County, Alameda County, Yosemite Valley and the greater Monterey area. The beginning of the album is devoted to camp scenes. Though there are many landscapes, the photographs also depict the photographer's friends and family on the trips in relaxed, carefree moments. Hand-written captions, including some dates, accompany many of the photographs, which are pasted into the album. The album includes a hand-written title which reads "Trips from '98 to '04 Home Views."

Date:

1898 (issued)

Subject:

Sterling, George -- 1869-1926
London, Jack -- 1876-1916
Sterling, Mary
Alameda County (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Carmel (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Monterey (Calif.) -- Pictorial works
Piedmont (Calif.)
Sag Harbor (N.Y.)
San Francisco (Calif.) -- Buildings, structures, etc

Note:

The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours in advance.
While the identity of the photographer and the creator of the album is unclear, the photographs seem to center on the friends and family of California poet George Sterling, the eldest son of George and Mary Sterling (nee Havens). Mary Sterling was born in Sag Harbor, New York on December 12, 1845 to Wickham and Sarah Havens, one of the founding families of Shelter Island, New York. Between 1860 and 1870, Mary married Dr. George A. Sterling, a physician from Connecticut. Altogether the couple had nine children: George, Wickham, James, Mary, Flora, Laura, Mariana, Avis, and Alice. Their eldest son George was born on December 1, 1869. He attended St. Charles College in Maryland before moving to the Bay Area in 1890 to join his uncle, Frank C. Havens (1848-1917). George became a well-known poet and was good friends with Jack London (1876-1916), who is featured in the album, and Joaquin Miller (1837-1913), whose home is depicted as well. He was also a member of the Bohemian Club and he moved to the artists' colony in Carmel in 1905 with his wife Carrie Rand Sterling (1872-1918). George Sr. and Mary left New York for Honolulu in November 1896 but they decided to stay in Oakland. George Sr. died on March 8, 1897 at the home of his brother-in-law. Mary's home at the end of Oakland Avenue in Piedmont, California is featured in the photograph album. Mary Sterling died in Oakland on February 25, 1920. George died six years later on November 17, 1926.
George Sterling's Friends and Family Photograph Album (SFP 34), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.
All requests for permission to publish from the album must be submitted in writing to the Photo Curator. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.
Transferred from Book Arts and Special Collections' James D. Phelan California Authors Collection.

Type:

Photograph albums

Physical Description:

1 album

Language:

English

Identifier:

Origin:

No place, unknown, or undetermined

Copyright Note:

The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours in advance.
All requests for permission to publish from the album must be submitted in writing to the Photo Curator. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.