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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 06, Photograph 195
    Caption: "Constructing the Loup, Market Street," 1906. A view of construction workers repairing the tracks on Market Street, with the scaffolded Ferry Building in the distance, and numerous pedestrians observing the effort.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 194
    Caption: "String of Cars, Market Street Ferry," 1906. A view of cable cars, people, and a scaffolded Ferry Building at the end of Market Street, after the 1906 earthquake.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 193
    Caption: "Fillmore St. Dec. 10, 1906," A view of a flooded Fillmore Street in San Francisco during the winter of 1906.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 192
    Caption: "A Block in Refugee Town," 1906. A row of structures built for the refugees of San Francisco who lost their homes after the earthquake and fires.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 191
    Caption: "A Few Buildings Stand as Monuments." A view of San Francisco buildings in ruins after the 1906 earthquake and fires.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 190
    Caption: "St. Dominic's Church," shows a view of the damage to the church after the 1906 earthquake.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 189
    Caption: "Toppling House on Howard Street," 1906. shows two Queen Anne-style houses that have toppled off their foundations after the earthquake.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 188
    Caption: "A Typical Italian Refugee Camp," c. 1906. Makeshift hut with four unidentified men standing in doorway. After the earthquake and fire that destroyed much of San Francisco in April 1906, hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless. Many of these people established temporary refugee camps, using debris from the destruction to cobble together shelters.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 187
    Caption: "Jefferson Square," c. 1906. A view of tents in Jefferson Square in San Francisco, likely for refugees who were left homeless after the earthquake and fires.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 186
    Caption: "Napa Parade," c. 1907. A view of a parade procession on a dirt road in Napa.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 185
    Caption: "Santa Rosa Parade," c. 1907. A view of drummers in band attire leading a parade down a dirt street in Santa Rosa.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 184
    Caption: "Tamalpais Tavern and Railway From West Point," c. 1907.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 183
    Caption: "Double Bow Knot Mt Tamalpais," c. 1907. A bird's eye view of the twisty road up Mount Tamalpais in Marin County.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 182
    Caption: "Profile Rock Mt Tamalpais," c. 1907, shows a rock formation that resembles a human profile at Mount Tamalpais in Marin County.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 181
    Caption: "Canyon and Trestle Mt Tamalpais RR.," c. 1907. Muir Woods Railway, established in 1896 as a scenic tourist railway between Mill Valley and the east peak of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 181.0
    Caption: "Tamalpais Views," is a label for photographs 179 - 184 in album 6, showing a variety of views of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 180
    Caption: "Tamalpais R.R." c. 1907. A view of the Muir Woods Railway, established in 1896 as a scenic tourist railway between Mill Valley and the east peak of Mount Tamalpais in Marin County.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 179
    Caption: "Tamalpais Tavern," c. 1907. The Tamalpais Tavern opened in 1896 on top of Mount Tamalpais and quickly became a popular destination for Bay Area residents who rode the Muir Woods Railway up and down the mountain. A fire destroyed the tavern in 1923 and a smaller, more modest building was erected in 1924 but closed at the start of World War II.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 178
    Caption: "San Francisco April 17, 1906. Center of Town." A bird's eye view of the city the day before the earthquake and fires.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 177
    Caption: "Seattle Times, Copy." Photograph of The Seattle Daily Times front page and photographs of the San Francisco earthquake's aftermath with headline: "City Wiped Out! Fire Still Raging!" Dated April 20, 1906.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 176
    Caption: "Santa Fe Trestle. Martinez, "c. 1906.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 175
    Caption: "Sutro Baths Interior," c. 1910. Interior shot of the Sutro Baths, north of the Cliff House. Designed by Adolph Sutro in 1894, the bathhouses at one time covered three oceanfront acres just north of Ocean Beach and the Cliff House. Eventually the Sutro Baths fell into disrepair and what was left of them burned down in 1966. Since 1973, the concrete ruins have been part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. See also 96-07-08-alb02-023, and 96-07-08-alb03-117.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 174
    Caption: "City Hall Ruins." An expanded view of the destroyed City Hall after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Stacks and piles of bricks are lined up at the curb of the street, likely to be used for reconstruction.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 173
    No Caption: Caption in photograph album (172.0): "City Hall Tower Before and after the Quake." 1906. A view of San Francisco City Hall after the April 18, 1906 earthquake shows the devastation to the structure.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 172
    No caption. Caption in photograph album (172.0): "City Hall Tower Before and after the Quake." 1906. A view of San Francisco City Hall before the April 18, 1906 earthquake.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 172.0
    Label in photograph album for photographs 172 and 173: "City Hall Tower Before and after the Quake."
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 171
    Caption: "After the Fire," shows the remains of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake and fires. Considered one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires killed an estimated 3,000 people and destroyed over 500 city blocks, leaving approximately 200,000 residents homeless.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 170
    Caption: "San Francisco April 18 1906." A view of the city of San Francisco ablaze after the 1906 earthquake. Considered one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires killed an estimated 3,000 people and destroyed over 500 city blocks, leaving approximately 200,000 residents homeless.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 169
    Caption: "Market Street, Flood Building Unhurt, Emporium Damaged." Considered one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires killed an estimated 3,000 people and destroyed over 500 city blocks, leaving approximately 200,000 residents homeless.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 168
    Caption: "Mission Street After the Quake," 1906. A view of the severe damage to Mission Street after the earthquake. Considered one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires killed an estimated 3,000 people and destroyed over 500 city blocks, leaving approximately 200,000 residents homeless.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 167
    Caption: The Awful Fire After the Shake," 1906. A view of San Francisco ablaze after the 1906 earthquake. Considered one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires killed an estimated 3,000 people and destroyed over 500 city blocks, leaving approximately 200,000 residents homeless.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 166
    Caption: "Market Street Burning." A view of the Call Building on Market and 3rd Streets on fire after the 1906 earthquake, with people and horses in the foreground. Considered one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires killed an estimated 3,000 people and destroyed over 500 city blocks, leaving approximately 200,000 residents homeless.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 165
    No Caption: Inscribed on the photograph: "An "Old Settler" Pt. Bonita, California." A view of a large cannon on a carriage.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 164
    Caption: "Portola Celebration." 1909. The Portola Festival was a grand celebration devised to commemorate the discovery of San Francisco Bay by Gaspar De Portola, and for the public to celebrate the future of the rebuilt city after the 1906 earthquake and fires.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 163
    No Caption: A view of the large crowds surrounding an enormous United States flag and the Spanish-American War Memorial (Douglas Tildon, sculptor) at the Portola Festival of 1909. The Portola Festival was a grand celebration devised to commemorate the discovery of San Francisco Bay by Gaspar De Portola, and for the public to celebrate the future of the rebuilt city after the 1906 earthquake and fires.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 162
    Caption: "Don Gasper [sic] de Portola and Queen," 1909. Participants at the Portola Festival on horseback and dressed in period costume as Don Gaspar De Portola and Queen. The Portola Festival was a grand celebration devised to commemorate the discovery of San Francisco Bay by Gaspar De Portola, and for the public to celebrate the future of the rebuilt city after the 1906 earthquake and fires.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 161
    No Caption: A scene from the 1909 Portola Festival, a grand celebration devised to commemorate the discovery of San Francisco Bay by Gaspar De Portola, and for the public to celebrate the future of the rebuilt city after the 1906 earthquake and fires.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 160
    Caption: "Portola Celebration,"1909. The Portola Festival of 1909 was a grand celebration devised to commemorate the discovery of San Francisco Bay by Gaspar De Portola, and for the public to celebrate the future of the rebuilt city after the 1906 earthquake and fires.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 159
    No Caption: The photograph has a hand-written inscription stating: "Portola Electric Bell Copyright 1909 Pillsbury Picture Co. No. 800." Installed on the intersection of Third and Market Streets in San Francisco, the Portola Electric Bell contained two thousand bulbs and rose 125 feet above the street. It was part of the Portola Festival of 1909, a grand celebration devised to commemorate the discovery of San Francisco Bay by Gaspar De Portola, and for the public to celebrate the future of the rebuilt city after the 1906 earthquake and fires.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 158
    Caption: "The Chicago," a two stack steam ship plying the waters of an unidentified location.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 157
    Caption: "Street Scene, Los Angeles," c. 1908. A view of an early twentieth street scene in Los Angeles, with horse-drawn vehicles, trolley cars, and numerous buildings.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 156
    Caption: "Santa Fe Depot, San Diego," c. 1908. Built in 1887 for the California Southern Railroad Company, the small depot station was later demolished to make way for a much larger station, which opened in 1915.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 155
    Caption: "Santa Fe Depot, Los Angeles," c. 1910. The La Grande Station opened in 1893 and served as the main passenger terminal for the Atchinson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe). The building, with its Moorish inspired architecture, was heavily damaged by the 1933 Long Beach earthquake and was eventually demolished in 1946.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 154
    Caption: "Russian River - Healdsburg," c. 1914. William and Grace McCarthy are seen rowing a boat on the Russian River.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 153
    Caption: "City Hall - Healdsburg," c. 1910. The Healdsburg City Hall was built in 1886 and demolished in 1960.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 152
    Caption: "Sausalito," c. 1908. A view of the town of Sausalito with ships in Richardson Bay.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 151
    Caption: "Tannery Ruins, Benicia," c. 1905, shows the destroyed building of the Benicia Tannery.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 150
    Caption: "Ordnance Machine Shops, Benicia," c. 1905. A view of the Benicia Arsenal's Machine Shops.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 149
    Caption: "Ordnance Mechanics," c. 1905. William McCarthy (center) stands before equipment with several unidentified mechanics at the Benicia Arsenal.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 148
    Caption: "Ordnance Corps," c. 1905. A group photograph of the Ordnance Corps at the Benicia Arsenal. The broad mission of the Ordnance Corps was to supply combat weapons and ammunition to U.S. Army forces on the west coast of the United States.