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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 040
    Caption: "Feeding the Wood Chucks [sic]- Yellowstone," c. 1923. William McCarthy crouches down to feed an eager groundhog balancing on his hind legs in this photograph.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 039
    Caption: "Grand Canyon Camp - Yellowstone," c. 1923. Grace McCarthy stands to one side of a large group of unidentified people under an outdoor pavilion in a camp ground near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 038
    Caption: "Liberty Cap Rock - Mammoth Hot Springs," c. 1923. Liberty Cap Rock, a 40-foot tall dormant hot spring cone, is located in the Mammoth Hot Springs area of Yellowstone National Park.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 037
    Caption: "In the Debths [sic] of Yellowstone Canyon," c. 1923. The Yellowstone River tumbles its way through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in this photograph, taken at river-level.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 036
    Caption: "Yellowstone Grand Canyon," c. 1923. Bird's eye view of the Yellowstone River flowing through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 035
    Caption: "Yellowstone Grand Canyon," c. 1923. Bird's eye view of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The 308-foot tall cascade of Lower Yellowstone Falls of the Yellowstone River can be seen at the top of the photograph, flowing into the Canyon. The Canyon is approximately 24 miles long, and between 800 and 1,200 feet deep.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 034
    Caption: "Lower Falls," c. 1923. As the Yellowstone River flows north from Yellowstone Lake it passes over two waterfalls (Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls) before reaching the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. This photograph shows the 308-foot Lower Yellowstone Falls. It carries more water volume than any other waterfall in the Rocky Mountains.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 033
    Caption: "Lower Falls," c. 1923. As the Yellowstone River flows north from Yellowstone Lake it passes over two waterfalls (Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls) before reaching the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. This photograph shows the 308-foot Lower Yellowstone Falls, as viewed from the base of the falls. It carries more water volume than any other waterfall in the Rocky Mountains.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 032
    Caption: "Lower Falls - Yellowstone Grand Canyon," c. 1923. As the Yellowstone River flows north from Yellowstone Lake it passes over two waterfalls (Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls) before reaching the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. This photograph shows the 308-foot Lower Yellowstone Falls. It carries more water volume than any other waterfall in the Rocky Mountains.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 031
    Caption: "Cascades - Yellowstone," c. 1923. View of Kepler Cascades, a waterfall on the Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 030
    Caption: "Tower Falls [sic] - Yellowstone Park," c. 1923. Tower Fall is a 132' waterfall, located on Tower Creek in the northeastern region of Yellowstone National Park. Its name derives from several pinnacles of rock at the head of the fall.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 029
    Caption: "Old Faithful Geyser," c. 1923. Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful Geyser at mid-eruption.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 028
    Caption: "Paint Pots - Yellowstone," c. 1923. View of bubbling pools of mud known as mudpots or "paint pots" at Yellowstone National Park.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 027
    Caption: "Paint Pots or Boiling Clay - Yellowstone," c. 1923. Several unidentified park-goers view bubbling pools of mud known as mudpots or "paint pots" at Yellowstone National Park.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 026
    Caption: "Burning Pool - Yellowstone Park," c. 1923. An unidentified group of people walk past Burning Pool at Yellowstone National Park, a thermally active spring in the park's Upper Basin.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 025
    Caption: "Emerald Pool Yellowstone," c. 1923. Grace McCarthy (fourth from the right) and several unidentified people admire Emerald Pool in Yellowstone National Park. The pool, sometimes called Emerald Spring, is located in the park's Black Sand Basin. Yellow sulphur deposits, combined with the blue of the water, give the pool a vivid green color.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 024
    Caption: "Sunset Lake - Yellowstone," c. 1923. Yellowstone National Park's Sunset Lake is a shallow thermal pool in the Black Sand Basin. Its name is derived from the yellow and orange bands of bacteria and algae at its edges.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 023
    Caption: "Tea Kettle - Yellowstone," c. 1923. Teakettle Spring is a thermally active site in Yellowstone National Park's Upper Geyser Basin.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 022
    Caption: "Rocket Geyser," c. 1923. The Rocket Geyser in Yellowstone National Park is part of the Grotto Geyser group, along with Grotto Fountain Geyser (which can also be seen at the right in this photograph), South Grotto Fountain Geyser, Indicator Spring, and Spa Geyser.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 021
    Caption: "Constant Geyser," c. 1923. Three unidentified people circle Constant Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, so named for its frequent eruptions.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 020
    Caption: "Bear & Cub - In Yellowstone," c. 1923. A bear and her cub cross a road or trail in Yellowstone National Park.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 019
    Caption: "Feeding a Bear - Yellowstone," c. 1923. William McCarthy feeding a bear at Yellowstone National Park.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 018
    Caption: "Castle Geyser - Yellowstone," c. 1923. Castle Geyser erupting in Yellowstone National Park. The geyser's name refers to the shape of the cone around the vent.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 017
    Caption: "Old Faithful Geyser After Eruption - Yellowstone," c. 1923. Grace McCarthy stands behind the vent of Old Faithful, a cone geyser at Yellowstone National Park.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 016
    Caption: "Saltair Pavilion - Great Salt Lake," c.1923. Interior of the Saltair Pavilion on Utah's Great Salt Lake. Constructed in 1893 and designed by Richard K.A. Kletting, the Saltair resort set out to be the Western counterpart of Coney Island. The resort was a popular spot for Mormon families, only fifteen miles from Salt Lake City and overseen by Church leaders. The Church sold the building in 1906. It was later destroyed by fire in 1925, but a second pavilion was quickly built.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 015
    Caption: "Salt Air - Great Salt Lake," c.1923. Grace McCarthy poses in front of the Saltair resort complex on Utah's Great Salt Lake. Constructed in 1893 and designed by Richard K.A. Kletting, the Saltair set out to be the Western counterpart of Coney Island. The resort was a popular spot for Mormon families, only fifteen miles from Salt Lake City and overseen by Church leaders. The Church sold the building in 1906. It was later destroyed by fire in 1925, but a second pavilion was quickly built.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 014
    Caption: "Yellowstone Transportation Bus," c. 1923. William and Grace McCarthy (second row from the back, middle and right-hand seats) and a group of unidentified people stop for a photograph while sitting in an eleven-passenger, open-roofed touring bus in Yellowstone National Park. The touring bus, likely made by White Motor Company, was one of a fleet of such vehicles maintained by the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 013
    Caption: "Old Faithful Inn - Yellowstone," c. 1923. View of the massive Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park. Designed by Robert C. Reamer and completed in 1904, the hotel is one of the largest log buildings in the world.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 012
    Caption: "Main Street Ogden," c. 1923. Street scene in Ogden, showing a broad roadway used by pedestrians and automobiles, flanked by trees on the left and businesses on the right.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 011
    Caption: "S.P. Track - Crossing Great Salt Lake.," c. 1923. The Southern Pacific Railroad constructed the trestle shown in this photograph, known as the Lucin Cutoff, between 1902 to 1904. It crosses the Great Salt Lake, between Ogden and Lucin. The trestle was replaced by a causeway of dirt and rock in the 1950s.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 010
    Caption: "Interior Utah State Capitol," c. 1923. This photograph shows part of the main corridor of Utah's State Capitol Building, featuring an equestrian statue of Chief Washakie, leader of the eastern Shoshone (artist unknown). Visible above the entrance to the chambers of the House of Representatives is a mural painted by Gerard Hale and Gilbert White entitled Reclaiming the Desert for Irrigation.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 009
    Caption: "Utah State Capitol. Salt Lake City." c. 1923. View of Utah's State Capitol Building, designed by Richard K.A. Kletting and built between 1912 and 1916.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 008
    Caption: "State Capitol - Calif, " c. 1920. View of the California State Capitol Building. Much of the building is obscured by trees, but the dome is visible. Designed by M.F. Butler, California's State Capitol Building experienced significant delays while under construction. Crews broke ground on December 4, 1856, but the Legislature did not occupy the building until 1869, and the building was not fully completed until 1874.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 007
    Caption: "Market Street S.F," c. 1935. A bustling Market Street scene with many people, cars and trollies. San Francisco's Ferry Building can be seen in the distance at the far right.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 006
    Caption: "Ocean Beach, San Francisco," c. 1925. Panorama of Ocean Beach, showing crowds not only at the beach but also at San Francisco's Playland, a series of seaside attractions and rides including a carousel, Fun House, and the Big Dipper rollercoaster. Entrepreneurs began erecting concessions and "thrill" rides at the location in the late nineteenth century. By 1913 the area was known as Chutes at the Beach. In 1923, brothers George and Leo Whitney began to purchase the attractions, eventually coming to own the entirety of what became known as Playland. The amusement park was torn down in 1972.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 005
    Caption: "City Hall, San Francisco.," c. 1925. View of the Beaux Arts-style building that replaced San Francisco's City Hall after the original building was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Designed by architect Arthur Brown, Jr., the building occupies two full city blocks. See also 96-07-08-alb09-003, 96-07-08-alb10-001, and 96-07-08-alb11-001.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 004
    Caption: "Ocean Beach, San Francisco," c. 1925. Panorama of Ocean Beach, showing crowds not only at the beach but also at San Francisco's Playland, a series of seaside attractions and rides including a carousel, Fun House, and the Big Dipper rollercoaster. Entrepreneurs began erecting concessions and "thrill" rides at the location in the late nineteenth century. By 1913 the area was known as Chutes at the Beach. In 1923, brothers George and Leo Whitney began to purchase the attractions, eventually coming to own the entirety of what became known as Playland. The amusement park was torn down in 1972.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 003
    Caption: "City Hall, San Francisco.," c. 1925. View of the Beaux Arts-style building that replaced San Francisco's City Hall after the original building was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Designed by architect Arthur Brown, Jr., the building occupies two full city blocks. See also 96-07-08-alb09-005, 96-07-08-alb10-001, and 96-07-08-alb11-001.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 002
    Caption: "Music Stand, San Francisco." View of the Spreckels Temple of Music in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, commonly known as the Music Stand or the Bandshell. The Temple was built in 1899-1900 at the west end of the park's Music Concourse. A gift to the City of San Francisco from sugar magnate Claus Spreckels, the Temple has been extensively renovated over the years to repair earthquake damage.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 001
    Caption: "Cliff House, San Francisco," c. 1920. The building shown here is the fourth iteration of the Cliff House, a neo-classical design built after a fire destroyed the Victorian structure previously at the site in 1907. Reconstruction of the iconic restaurant began in 1908, and a new Cliff House opened in 1909 (the building in this photograph). The building was extensively remodeled in the 1930s.
  • McCarthy Album 09, Photograph 000
    Caption: "Tours to the East." Two National Park decals for Yellowstone Park (with handwritten date of Aug. 14, 23, featuring a bear) and Yosemite National Park in 1920 (with handwritten date of July 4, featuring a mountain lion).
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 303
    No Caption: An unidentified newspaper clipping of an obituary for the Mother of William McCarthy, Mrs. C.P. McCarthy. Hand written on the top of the page: "Chas P McCarthy Died Jan 25 1903, Age 56 years 6 Months 10 Days."
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 302
    No caption. An unidentified piece of machinery at unidentified location.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 301
    No caption. Several unidentified men and a piece of heavy artillery at an unidentified location.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 300
    No caption. A close-up view of a piece of unidentified heavy artillery.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 299
    Caption: "Big Tree Grove - Santa Cruz," c. 1910.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 298
    Caption: "The Yum Um Tree, This is Where it Began, July 12, 1908." A view of a large tree with a dense vine wrapped around its bark.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 297
    No caption. Grace McCarthy poses for photograph, wearing a man's hat, at an unidentified location, c. 1910.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 296
    No caption. William McCarthy poses for a photograph at an unidentified location, c. 1910.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 295
    No caption. A smiling Grace McCarthy is seen sitting at the foot of a hillside, possibly a beach, c. 1910.