B.D. Jackson Collection of Negatives and Photographs: Finding Aid
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf9h4nb3pn No online items B.D. Jackson Collection of Negatives and Photographs: Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Sue Luftschein. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens Photo Archives 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, California 91108 Phone: (626) 405-2191 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.huntington.org © November 10, 2006 The Huntington Library. All rights reserved. B.D. Jackson Collection of photCL 332 1 Negatives and Photographs: Finding Aid Overview of the Collection Title: B.D. Jackson Collection of Negatives and Photographs Dates (inclusive): 1903-1950s Bulk dates: 1920s-1930s Collection Number: photCL 332 Creator: Jackson, B. D., 1850 or 1851-1937 Extent: 4888 photographs (including glass plate negatives, film negatives, photographs) and manuscript and ephemeral materials in 63 boxes Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Photo Archives 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, California 91108 Phone: (626) 405-2191 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.huntington.org Abstract: The B.D. Jackson Collection of Negatives and Photographs consists of more than 4,800 photographs, glass plate negatives, and film negatives, as well related manuscript and ephemeral materials, created by Southern California photographer B.D. Jackson (ca. 1850-1937). The collection dates from 1903 to the 1950s (bulk 1920s-1930s) and provides a visual history of the growth of the San Gabriel Valley and Southern California's suburban communities, a survey of California and the West's notable landscapes, and an overview of Jackson's career as a landscape and scenic view photographer. Language: English. Access Advance arrangements for viewing glass plate and film negatives and positives must be made with the Curator of Photographs. 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. Publication Rights The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher. Preferred Citation B.D. Jackson Collection of Negatives and Photographs. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California. Provenance Donated by Mrs. Ruth L. Green, 1966. Processing Information The collection was partially rehoused, arranged and numbered, and a preliminary Container List created, by Jane Apostol in the 1980s. In October-November 2006, Sue Luftschein completed the rehousing and arranging, and created this finding aid based, in part, on the original Container List. Physical Characteristics or Technical Requirements The majority of photographs are copy prints, unless otherwise noted. Most of the copy prints were made from glass plate negatives, unless otherwise noted. Film negatives are housed in cold storage. The majority of the film negatives are unprinted. Arrangements for viewing glass plate and film negatives and positives must be made with the Curator of Photographs. Biographical Note Bradford "Dan" Jackson (ca. 1850/51-1937) was born in Sullivan, Ohio, around 1850. He began his career as a portrait photographer in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1901, in search of a better climate, he moved with his wife, Cora, and his stepdaughter, Ruth, to Pomona, California, where he purchased a portrait studio. In addition to portrait work, he began photographing the surrounding towns, mountains, and beaches of Southern California. Jackson lived and worked at various times in Pomona, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Hollywood, La Canada, Glendora, La Crescenta, and Glendale, all of which figure in his work. Eventually he gave up the portrait aspect of the business and concentrated on landscape views for the production of stereographs and postcards. As he said, "Views don't talk back." B.D. Jackson Collection of photCL 332 2 Negatives and Photographs: Finding Aid Jackson was one of the first photographers to document the construction and completion of the Angeles Crest Highway, and his images of the Montrose-La Crescenta flood of 1934 were used by Los Angeles County officials to document the drainage patterns of the mountains in that area. Scope and Contents The B.D. Jackson Collection of Negatives and Photographs consists of 804 4 x 5 in. and 8 x 10 in. glass plate negatives, 1782 film negatives (including stereo negatives), 2302 black and white photographs (including stereos, postcards, and photograph albums), and related manuscript and ephemeral materials, 1903-1950s (bulk 1920s-1930s). The collection provides a visual history of the growth of the San Gabriel Valley and Southern California's suburban communities, a survey of notable landscapes of California and the American West, and an overview of Jackson's career as a landscape and scenic view photographer. The collection is complemented and supplemented by the Glendora Historical Society Collection of B.D. Jackson Photographs and Negatives (photCL 448), also in the Huntington's Photo Archives. Many of the negatives in the Jackson Collection exist in print form in the Glendora Collection, and many of the images in the Glendora Collection round out series in the Jackson Collection. The first part of the collection concentrates on many of the San Gabriel Valley's growing communities and scenic landscapes. The photographs of Glendale, Burbank, La Crescenta, La Canada Flintridge, Eagle Rock, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Altadena, Monrovia, Glendora, and San Dimas include views of public buildings, businesses, churches, residences, and schools. The Glendale images include many photographs of Glendale's business district and the Rossmoyne development. The La Canada images include photographs of the Jacob Lanterman House (Homewood), the Roy and Emily Lanterman House (El Retiro), El Nido (the residence of Lieutenant Governor A.J. Wallace), and Dryborough Hall. The Pasadena images include numerous photographs of Busch Gardens, the Colorado Street Bridge, and Tournament of Roses parades from the mid-1920s and 1935. The photographs of Glendora include numerous views of streets in downtown Glendora as well as photographs of Judge Charles Silent's home. Images of Mount Wilson and Mount Lowe include the Observatory, the incline railway, and the Mount Lowe Railway. Images of the San Gabriel Mountains depict Orchard Camp, Camp Oak Wilde, Camp Coldbrook, Angeles Crest Highway, Switzer's Camp, Ice House and Wolfskill Canyons, and Mint Canyon. Other Southern California landscapes and scenic views include San Juan Capistrano and other missions; Avalon Harbor and the Hotel St. Catherine on Catalina Island; Hollywoodland, Bernheimer Gardens, Lake Hollywood, Mulholland Drive and Mulholland Dam, and Easter Services at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood; Sunset Canyon, Sylvan Crest Trail, oil wells, Echo Park, Griffith Park, and the Greek Theater in Los Angeles; Point Fermin in San Pedro; beaches and surf at Santa Monica, Venice, Ocean Park, Redondo Beach and Laguna Beach; Pacoima Canyon, Big Tujunga Canyon, Encino Country Club grounds, and the Santa Susanna Pass in the San Fernando Valley area; Palm Canyon in Riverside County; Ramona's Marriage Place, Mission Cliff Gardens, La Jolla, and Torrey Pines in San Diego County; Agua Dulce Canyon and Vasquez Rocks in Los Angeles County; and sunsets and sunrises taken from southern California beaches and mountains. Jackson also ventured beyond the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles County for landscape views, and these make up the bulk of the latter part of the collection. The collection contains numerous images of the San Bernardino Mountains including Big Bear Lake, Seven Oaks Camp, and Lake Arrowhead; Mount Baldy and the surrounding area, including Kelly's Camp, Camp Baldy, Mirror Lake, San Antonio Canyon, and San Antonio Falls; Yosemite National Park; scenic canyons, including Red Rock Canyon in Kern County and Painted Canyon in Riverside County; Lake Tahoe, Mount Whitney, Temple Crag, Mount Tallac, and the Devil's Postpile in the Sierra Nevada Mountains; Mount Shasta; redwoods in Sequoia National Park; Yellowsone; Crater Lake and Mount Hood in Oregon; and Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon in Utah. Other scenic views depict images of ships, including the U.S.S. California, the steamer "Ruth Alexander," and a wrecked warship off Point Honda; the aftermath of the 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake, including many views of the Hotel Californian and the Santa Barbara Mission; dams, including the ruins of the St. Francis Dam, and the Boulder Dam; the 1918 San Jacinto Earthquake; the Montrose-La Crescenta flood of 1934; and the construction and completion of the Angeles Crest Highway. Other images portray parade scenes (in Glendale, Burbank, and Azusa?); the 1925 National Orange Show in San Bernardino; rural and mountain roads (including views of the Ridge Route); unidentified individuals; Malibu Lake Mountain Drive; surf and beach scenes; residential interiors; and personal snapshots of B.D. and Cora Jackson on various trips, at home, and in front of Jackson's shop in Glendora. The collections also contains sample stereo cards, used by Jackson to advertise this aspect of his business, and photograph albums that display many of his postcards and scenic photographs. Ephemeral materials include brochures and leaflets about Jackson's stereo views and