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Exhibits

William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection

Item set

Title
William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection
Description
Capturing the rich history of the early twentieth century, the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection (Identification #96-07-08) highlights well-known landmarks, historic events, and scenic vistas from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, from the Deep South to Canada, and from Mexico to Cuba. Scenes across the Golden State are captured in stunning shots from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite and the Central Coast to Southern California cities. The collection features nearly 3,000 photographs taken by native Californians William M. and Grace McCarthy from approximately 1905 to 1938. The McCarthys traveled extensively during the early years of automobile travel, as newly constructed highways connected people and places throughout the United States and beyond, providing pictorial documentation of a pivotal period in our nation's history.

William M. McCarthy (1876 – 1956) and Grace C. Kane (1878 – 1957) wed in the early 1900s and lived in San Francisco for most of their lives where William was stationed as an armament expert for the U.S. War Department. The collection features photographs of the McCarthys' travels, as well as the many family members and friends they encountered along the way. Always ready with his camera, William McCarthy also captured remarkable images of significant events, including shots of San Francisco before and after the 1906 earthquake, the fire that destroyed that city's iconic Cliff House in 1907, the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, and their 1938 journey into Mexico along the newly constructed Pan American Highway. The original black and white photographs, mounted in eleven albums, make up one of the few private collections preserved by the California State Archives. The entire collection was digitized by the State Archives' curatorial staff.

To request a high-resolution scan of one or more of these images, contact the California State Archives at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-2246. Please include the Title or Identifier for each photograph in which you are interested, as well as the desired format (tiff, jpg, pdf) and resolution (DPI) for the requested scan. Duplication fees will apply.

DISCLAIMER
The views, opinions, and positions expressed by the creators of the materials presented (William and Grace McCarthy) are theirs alone. As noted in image descriptions, certain photographs are restricted or have been cropped due to sensitive content deemed unsuitable for online distribution.
Date
1905-1938
Contributor
Audrey Fullerton-Samora of Sacramento, great niece of William and Grace McCarthy, donated the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection to the California State Archives in 1996.
Creator
William M. McCarthy
Publisher
California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State's Office
Rights
The California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State’s Office, owns the copyright to the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection. The images and content may be used for personal use, research, or educational purposes. For any use of these materials, please credit the “California State Archives, William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection, Identification #96-07-08.” Commercial use or distribution of the images or content is not permitted without prior written permission from the California State Archives. Please note that the materials contained in this collection may include copyrighted material (such as postcards) not held by the California State Archives. Additionally, other limitations, such as the right of publicity, may limit use of the materials in this collection.

For more information about the copyrights related to this collection or to request permission to use the digital images or content, please contact the California State Archives at ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov or (916) 653-2246.
Identifier
Collection ID#96-07-08

Items

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  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 139
    Caption: "Watervliet Arsenal Entrance," c. 1925. A tree-lined driveway to the Watervliet Arsenal Entrance. The Arsenal was founded in 1813 in Watervliet, New York, to support the War of 1812. Today the Arsenal houses the U.S. Army's Benét Laboratories, part of the Army's Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 138
    Caption: "Albany Street Scene," c. 1925. A street in Albany, lined with cars and trollies.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 137
    Caption: "N.Y. State Capitol - Albany." New York State's Capitol Building was constructed between 1867 and 1899. The initial architect, Thomas Fuller, designed the first floor in a Classical or Romanesque style. He was replaced by Leopold Eidlitz and Henry Hobson Richardson, who designed the next two floors in a Renaissance style. The final architect to preside over the project, Isaac G. Perry, completed the building in a Victorian-Romanesque style. See also 96-07-08-alb11-247.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 136
    Caption: "Court Cottages - Montreal," c. 1925. View of several connected, multi-story apartments in Montreal.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 135
    Caption: "Rangers Home - Mount Royal Park," c. 1930. The Smith House, seen in this photograph surrounded by trees and a beautifully manicured flower garden, is a residence in Montreal's Mount Royal Park. Built in 1858 and purchased by the city when the ground was bought for the park's creation, the Smith House has been used for a variety of functions. It currently houses an interpretive center for the park as well as operating as the headquarters for Les amis de la montagne (The Friends of the Mountain), a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the environment of Mount Royal.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 134
    Caption: "Mount Royal Park - Montreal," c. 1925. William and Grace McCarthy pose in front of a horse and buggy at Montreal's Mount Royal Park.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 133
    Caption: "Toboggan Slide - Mount Royal Park - Montreal," c. 1925. William and Grace McCarthy pose in front of a large toboggan slide, absent of snow, at Montreal's Mount Royal Park.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 132
    Caption: "St. Josephs Oratore [sic] - Montreal," c. 1925. William and Grace McCarthy pose in front of a bronze statue of St. Joseph placed at the base of the hill upon which St. Joseph's Oratory is under construction. The statue, created by Alfred Laliberté, was erected in 1923.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 131
    Caption: "St. Josephs Oratore [sic] - Montreal," c. 1925. William and Grace McCarthy beneath the entry arch to the complex containing St. Joseph's Oratory, a Roman Catholic basilica and shrine. Work on the building began in 1924, and continued until 1967. Only the first level of the building had been completed when this photograph was taken.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 130
    Caption: "St. Josephs Oratore [sic] - Montreal.," c. 1925. Unidentified man and Grace McCarthy pose in front of the St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal, a Roman Catholic basilica and shrine. Work on the building began in 1924, and continued until 1967. Only the first level of the building had been completed when this photograph was taken.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 129
    Caption: "St. James Cathedral - Montreal," c. 1925. The St. James Cathedral in Montreal was consecrated in 1894. At that time, it was the largest church in Quebec. Pope Pious XII rededicated the church in 1955 to Mary, Queen of the World. See also 96-07-08-alb04-092.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 128
    Caption: "St. Lawrence River Scene," c. 1925. This photograph looks across the Saint Lawrence River toward two large houses on the far bank. One of the houses may be on a small island.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 127
    Caption: "St. Lawrence River Scene," c. 1925. This photograph looks across the Saint Lawrence River toward a large house and wooded area on the far bank.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 126
    Caption: "St. Lawrence River Rapids," c. 1925. View of white caps on the Saint Lawrence River. This river is part of the international boundary between Ontario, Canada, and New York, U.S.A.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 125
    Caption: "St. Lawrence River Boat," c. 1925. A single stack steamship of the Canada Steamship Lines Limited on the St. Lawrence River.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 124
    Caption: "Niagara Falls, c. 1925. William McCarthy poses in front of American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, two of the three waterfalls that make up the iconic Niagara Falls straddling the border between Ontario, Canada, and the State of New York.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 123
    Caption: "Niagara Falls," c. 1925. Grace McCarthy poses in front of American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, two of the three waterfalls that make up the iconic Niagara Falls straddling the border between Ontario, Canada, and the State of New York.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 122
    Caption: "Niagara Falls," c. 1925. View of Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three waterfalls that make up the iconic Niagara Falls straddling the border between Ontario, Canada, and the State of New York.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 121
    Caption: "Niagara Falls," c. 1925. View of Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three waterfalls that make up the iconic Niagara Falls straddling the border between Ontario, Canada, and the State of New York.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 120
    No caption. c. 1925. View of the American Falls (widest waterfall in the photograph), and Bridal Veil Falls, two of the three waterfalls that make up the iconic Niagara Falls straddling the border between Ontario, Canada, and the State of New York.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 119
    Caption: "Niagara Falls," c. 1925. View of Horseshoe Falls, largest of the three waterfalls that make up the iconic Niagara Falls straddling the border between Ontario, Canada, and the State of New York. At the right side of the photograph is a parking area with groups of tourists taking in the view.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 118
    Caption: "Niagara River," c. 1925. The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge can be seen in this view of the Niagara River. The two-deck arch bridge, opened in 1897, connects the towns of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara Falls, New York.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 117
    Caption: "Niagara Falls," c. 1925. View of the three waterfalls that make up the iconic Niagara Falls straddling the border between Ontario, Canada, and the State of New York. From left to right, the falls are called American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls (the smallest of the three), and Horseshoe Falls.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 116
    Caption: "Niagara Falls," c. 1925. View of the American Falls (widest waterfall in the photograph), and Bridal Veil Falls, two of the three waterfalls that make up the iconic Niagara Falls straddling the border between Ontario, Canada, and the State of New York.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 115
    Caption: "Niagara Falls," c. 1925. View of the three waterfalls that make up the iconic Niagara Falls straddling the border between Ontario, Canada, and the State of New York. From near distance to far distance, the falls are called American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls (the smallest of the three), and Horseshoe Falls.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 114
    Caption: "Street Scene - Toronto," c. 1925. A bustling scene on an unidentified street in Toronto, Ontario.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 113
    Caption: "Republic Statue Jackson Park Chicago," c. 1925. Designed by Chester French (sculptor), this version of the Statue of the Republic has stood in Chicago's Jackson Park since its construction in 1918. It is a one-third replica of a statue at the World's Columbian Exposition, held at Chicago in 1893.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 112
    Caption: "First National Bank Bldg. - Detroit," c. 1925. When this building, designed by architect Albert Kahn in the Neoclassical style, was completed in 1922, it was Detroit's tallest structure. This photograph was taken before construction in 1926-27 of a twenty-five story addition adjacent to the building in this photograph.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 111
    Caption: "State St. Chicago.," c. 1925. A busy street scene with people, cars and trollies.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 110
    Caption: "Power Plant of the Ford Factory - Detroit," c. 1925. View of the power house at Ford's Highland Park Plant (considered to be the birthplace of the industrial assembly line). The plant's five smoke stacks have a "FORD" sign across them, flanked by two water towers.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 109
    Caption: "Bell [sic] Isle Park - Detroit," c.1925. This photograph features the Belle Isle Casino, on the edge of Lake Tacoma on Belle Isle, in the Detroit River. The building is the second structure at the site, built in 1908 to replace a dilapidated wooden structure. The building is not a gambling facility, but is instead called a "casino" in the older sense of the word: a public building for meetings, dancing, reunions, and other recreation.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 108
    Caption: "Woodward Ave From Roof of First National Bank Bldg. - Detroit," c. 1925. Bird's eye view of a bustling street scene along Detroit's Woodward Ave.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 107
    Caption: "City Hall - Detroit," c. 1925. Grace McCarthy poses in front of Detroit's City Hall. The Italian Renaissance Revival-style building, designed by architect James Anderson, was constructed between 1867 and 1871. It housed Detroit's city government until 1955, when a new facility was ready for occupation. This building was subsequently demolished in 1961.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 106
    Caption: "State & Madison St. Chicago," c. 1923. A busy street scene at the intersection of State and Madison Streets in Chicago.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 105
    Caption: "View of Chicago From Boston Store Bldg," c. 1923. State Street, the Chicago Theatre, and the Wrigley Building (still under construction) can be seen in this bird's eye view of Chicago.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 104
    Caption: "Chicago River," c. 1923. A train crosses Michigan Avenue Bridge over the Chicago River in this photograph. The bascule bridge, engineered by the Chicago Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering, opened to traffic in 1920.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 103
    Caption: "Office Bldg. Swift & Co - Chicago," c. 1923. The general office of Chicago's Swift and Co., founded by meat packing magnate Gustavus Franklin Smith, Sr. in the late nineteenth century.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 102
    Caption: "Jackson Park - Chicago," c. 1923. The Grand Basin at Jackson Park. This 500-acre park was originally designed for use as the site of the World's Columbian Exposition (also called the Chicago World's Fair), held in 1893. The Grand Basin was a large reflecting pool at the center of the Exposition, around which the main buildings were constructed.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 101
    Caption: "Jackson Park Beach - Chicago," c. 1923. Jackson Park Beach at Lake Michigan, with a line of automobiles parked along the adjacent roadway.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 100
    Caption: "Jackson Park - Chicago," c. 1923. Grace McCarthy poses for a photograph in Jackson Park while people behind her board a double decker bus.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 099
    Caption: "Grant Statue - Lincoln Park - Chicago," c. 1923. Installed in 1891, the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial, created by Louis Rebisso (sculptor), is located in the east end of Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. It commemorates Ulysses S. Grant, former U.S. Army General and 18th President of the U.S.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 098
    Caption: "Garfield Park Conservatory - Chicago," c. 1925. Construction began on the Garfield Park Conservatory in 1906. Opened to the public in 1908, the Conservatory is one of the largest greenhouse conservatories in the United States.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 097
    Caption: "Mrs. Potter Palmers [sic] Home - Chicago," c. 1923. Constructed between 1882-1885, Palmer Mansion was once the largest private residence in Chicago. It was demolished in 1950.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 096
    Caption: "Apartment Houses - Chicago," c. 1923. Apartment buildings near the shores of Lake Michigan.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 095
    Caption: "Michigan AV. - Chicago," c. 1923. Michigan Avenue filled with cars, a double decker bus, and a traffic officer.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 094
    Caption: "Fine Arts Bldg. of Worlds Fair in 1893 - Jackson Park - Chicago," c. 1923. The Palace of Fine Arts building shown in this photograph was originally constructed for the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. After the fair's completion, the building housed the Columbian Museum, which eventually became the Field Museum of Natural History. In 1920, that museum moved to a new building, and the Palace of Fine Arts building was left vacant. After renovations in the late 1920s, the Museum of Science and Industry opened at the site.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 093
    Caption: "Michigan Ave. - Chicago," c. 1923. A tree- lined Michigan Avenue filled with cars.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 092
    Caption: "Blackstone Hotel - Michigan Ave. Chicago," c. 1923. Built in 1909 and designed by Benjamin Marshall, the twenty-one story Blackstone Hotel sits on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Balbo Drive in Chicago Illinois. It is the building closest to the left side of the photograph in this row of high-rises. See also 96-07-08-alb04-074.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 091
    Caption: "Republic Statue - Jackson Park - Chicago," c. 1923. Designed by Chester French (sculptor), this version of the Statue of the Republic has stood in Chicago's Jackson Park since its construction in 1918. It is a one-third replica of a statue at the World's Columbian Exposition, held at Chicago in 1893.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 090
    Caption: "State St. - Chicago," c. 1923. A busy street scene with people, automobiles, and trollies.