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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 001a
    Caption: "Fotos in San Francisco and Neighboring County's [sic] By Wm. McCarthy." A handwritten label mounted on the first page of the photograph album.
  • McCarthy Album 06, Photograph 001
    No caption, c. 1890. Photograph portrait of William McCarthy as a young boy.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 268
    No Caption: undated. Photograph shows what appears to be part of the carriage of a heavy coastal artillery gun.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 267
    No Caption: undated. Photograph shows the base of what appears to be a 12" mortar, and part of its carriage.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 266
    Caption: "The Arrival of the Atlantic Fleet at the Golden Gate -- May 6, 1908. San Francisco, California." and "Copyright 1908, Chas. Weidner, S.F." This photograph, by Charles Weidner, shows the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, consisting of sixteen battle cruisers and various support vessels, steaming toward the Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay. President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the Atlantic Fleet (later called the "Great White Fleet" because the ships were painted white with gold trim) on a tour around the world, beginning in December 1907, to show American goodwill and also demonstrate the power of the U.S. Navy. The Fleet reached the Golden Gate, entrance to San Francisco Bay, on May 6, 1908.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 265
    No Caption: undated. Photograph shows what appears to be a 12" disappearing coastal artillery gun, mounted on a rotating carriage.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 264
    No Caption: c. 1905. Military barracks with two rows of beds, several of which are occupied by unidentified men in uniforms. Other unidentified, uniformed men sit or stand around the beds.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 263
    No Caption: c. 1910. View of rows of tents and sheds thatched in palm fronds along the coast near Coronado Hotel, with people strolling along the roadways. Established in 1900 for travelers who could not afford to stay in the resort hotel, the Coronado Tent City consisted of a grid of streets lined with furnished tents, near the sea shore. It also featured restaurants, a library, soda fountain, theater, bandstand, and other recreational facilities. See also 96-07-08-alb05-202 and 96-07-08-alb08-210.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 262
    Caption: "Mexican Hut, Carlsbad, N. M.," c. 1905. Shack made out of wood boards and miscellaneous other items, with an unidentified man, possibly of Hispanic ethnicity, standing in front.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 261
    Caption: "Hagerman Avenue, Eddy, N. M.," c. 1905. view of a country road lined with bushes or trees, in Eddy County, New Mexico. An unidentified woman stands in the center of the photograph in the middle distance.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 260
    Caption: "UP A TREE,," c. 1905. William McCarthy (center) posing with several unidentified friends and/or family members in a small patio or treehouse.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 259
    Caption: "Sidestepping the Bull." In this photograph, a bull attempts to gore a matador holding a cape, observed by dozens of people in the surrounding stands.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 258
    Caption: "Placing the Bandarillias [sic]." Two images pasted into the photograph album next to each other, both showing bulls in a bullring. In both photographs, banderilleros are attempting to place banderillas (short barbed sticks) in each bull's shoulders.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 257
    Caption: "Bull Fight, Tiajuana [sic], Mexico." Image is dominated by bull in foreground, with several banderillas (short, barbed sticks) in place on his shoulders. Spectators watch from a ring of seats. A paper image of an unidentified matador is also placed in the album at this location.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 256
    Caption: "Tally Ho Ride, San Diego.," c. 1905. Group of unidentified people in a horse-drawn wagon, with fringed cover. The wagon has "Kelly's Tally-Ho, Cor. 3rd & F Sts." written on one corner.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 255
    Caption: "U. S. 12" Mortar Dismounted." View of the barrel of a 12-inch mortar, dismounted from its carriage and set upon a tower made of lumber.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 254
    Caption: "U. S. 12" Mortars." View of three 12-inch mortars in firing position behind an earth and concrete embankment. Caps cover the barrel openings.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 253
    Caption: "BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF SAN DIEGO," c. 1905. Residences dominate the front portion of this bird's eye view photograph of San Diego, with the harbor in the distance.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 252
    Caption: "Mexican Custom House and Officer.," c. 1905. William McCarthy (far right) standing in front of a customs house in Mexico, with two other unidentified men. One of the men appears to be of Hispanic ethnicity, and is likely the "Officer" mentioned in the caption.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 251
    No Caption: undated. View of train tracks, carried on a levee or jetty, disappearing into the distance, with water on either side.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 250
    No Caption: c. 1906. Grace McCarthy posing with an unidentified woman, possibly at a photography studio.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 249
    Caption: "Reveille." Image of a man firing a cannon on a carriage. Given the buildings in the background, this photograph could have been taken at Fort Casey in Washington.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 248
    Caption: "Smashing the Target." and "(8) June 19 -- [illegible]." Image of a plume of water presumably caused by an artillery shell during target practice on an ocean or lake. The date is illegible (mostly cut off).
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 247
    No Caption: c. 1906. Grace McCarthy posing with an unidentified woman, possibly at a photography studio.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 246
    No Caption: undated. View of a heavy artillery coastal defense gun and its carriage. The carriage may be damaged, or in the midst of being constructed.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 245
    No Caption: undated. View of two heavy artillery coastal defense guns.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 244
    Caption: "Twelve Inch Guns," undated. View of the barrel of a 12-inch heavy artillery gun.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 243
    No Caption: undated. View of a locomotive pulling a passenger train in an unidentified location.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 242
    Caption: "In Tiajuana [sic], Mexico.," c. 1905. Street scene in Tijuana, showing several buildings with false fronts along a dirt road.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 241
    No Caption: Photograph shows a female bullfighter dodging a bull in a bullring, in Tijuana, Mexico.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 240
    No Caption: Photograph shows five female bullfighters entering a bullring in Tijuana, Mexico. A ticket is pasted in the album above and slightly on top of the photograph, reading "Plaza De Toros, Tijuana, Lady Bullfighters, Sunday Sep 17 1905, $2.00, Good for One Admission."
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 239
    Caption: "Fort Point," c. 1910. This postcard shows a view of Fort Point, at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. The facilities at Fort Point were part of an effort by the U.S. government to protect the Golden Gate, entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Built between 1853-1861, the fort included emplacements for 141 guns but never fired a weapon in defense of the Bay. Its name was officially changed in 1882 to Fort Winfield Scott, but in 1886 the fort was officially downgraded to a sub-post of the San Francisco Presidio and the name discontinued. It was resurrected in 1912, with the establishment of a coastal artillery fortification at the Presidio, called, once again, Fort Winfield Scott.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 238
    Caption: "Fort Point -- Interior," c. 1910. Postcard showing a view of an interior hall or walkway featuring several arches at Fort Point. The facilities at Fort Point were part of an effort by the U.S. government to protect the Golden Gate, entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Built between 1853-1861, the fort included emplacements for 141 guns but never fired a weapon in defense of the Bay. Its name was officially changed in 1882 to Fort Winfield Scott, but in 1886 the fort was officially downgraded to a sub-post of the San Francisco Presidio and the name discontinued. It was resurrected in 1912, with the establishment of a coastal artillery fortification at the Presidio, called, once again, Fort Winfield Scott.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 237
    Caption: "Squaw in Jail, Tiajuana [sic], Mexico.," c. 1910. View of a jail in Tijuana, Mexico. An elderly woman is seated behind the bars of one of the windows.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 236
    No Caption: c. 1910. Grace McCarthy posing with parasol in garden. See also 96-07-08-alb05-161.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 235
    No Caption: c. 1910. William McCarthy in suit and bowler hat, posing in a garden or park. See also 96-07-08-alb05-155.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 234
    Caption: "Boundary Monument, Mexican Border." William McCarthy (middle row, far right) and several unidentified people posing in front of an obelisk, one of many Boundary Monuments marking the border between the U.S. and Mexico.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 233
    Caption: "Fort Rosecrans Battery." View of several coastal defense batteries equipped with heavy artillery guns, at Fort Rosecrans near San Diego.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 232
    Caption: "San Diego." View of Point Loma Light. First lit in 1891, this light replaced the "Old Point Loma Lighthouse" that had been constructed in 1855 (see 96-07-08-alb08-225). The old lighthouse was often obscured by fog, so a new lighthouse was built at a lower elevation much closer to sea level, as can be seen in this photograph. The light was automated in 1973. See also 96-07-08-alb05-226.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 231
    No Caption: Photograph of part of a print from the Illustrated London News, regarding placement and operation of coastal artillery defense methods. See also 96-07-08-alb05-095.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 230
    No Caption: Photograph of part of a print from the Illustrated London News, titled "A Modern Method of Coast Defense: The Arrangement of an Up-To-Date Battery." See also 96-07-08-alb05-094.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 229
    Caption: "San Diego Courthouse.," c. 1905. View of the second courthouse built by San Diego County, completed in 1889. Designed by architectural firm Cornstock & Trotsche of San Francisco, this elaborate building featured a bell and clock tower, statues of four presidents, and 42 stained-glass windows honoring each state in the Union at the time of installation. The tower was removed in 1939. Twenty years later, the entire building was demolished in favor of a newer facility.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 228
    Caption: "Old Mission, San Diego." William McCarthy standing next to the dilapidated church building of Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá (Mission San Diego). The first mission established in the U.S., Mission San Diego was founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1769.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 227
    Caption: "POINT LOMA BEACH, San Diego." View of rocky cliffs and narrow, rocky beach at their base, with surf swirling just offshore.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 226
    No Caption: View of Point Loma Light. First lit in 1891, this light replaced the "Old Point Loma Lighthouse" that had been constructed in 1855 (see 96-07-08-alb08-225). The old lighthouse was often obscured by fog, so a new lighthouse was built at a lower elevation much closer to sea level, as can be seen in this photograph. The light was automated in 1973. See also 96-07-08-alb05-232.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 225
    No Caption: View of the dilapidated Old Point Loma Lighthouse. An unidentified man sits in front of it. Lighted for the first time in 1855, this lighthouse sat on a high cliff above Point Loma near San Diego. Unfortunately, its high elevation resulted in fog or low-lying clouds often obscuring the light. The lighthouse was replaced by a new facility (Point Loma Light -- see 96-07-08-alb08-211 and 226) in 1891. The old lighthouse deteriorated over the years, until being restored in the early 1930s. It is now a museum.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 224
    Caption: "A Chicago 8" Gun." View of an 8" gun on the USS Chicago. Several crew members are visible in the photograph as well.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 223
    Caption: "Indian over 100 years old," c. 1905. Elderly man, possibly of Native American ethnicity, standing in front of a barn. Taken around 1905 in San Diego near the Old Mission, If William McCarthy's description is accurate, this person was born while California was under Spanish rule. Possibly of the Kumeyaay tribe, whose members had lived in the area long before the Spanish arrived, he may have lived and worked at Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá (Mission San Diego) or at a nearby Indian village.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 222
    Caption: "Bennington's Honored Dead." Shows a grave site with dozens of caskets ready for burial. A priest and two altar boys stand at one side of the caskets, while a large group of U.S. Navy sailors looks on from the other side. While sailing from port in San Diego on the morning of July 21, 1905, the boiler of the USS Bennington exploded, killing sixty-six of her crew. The victims were laid to rest in the cemetery at Fort Rosecrans. See also 96-07-08-alb05-142 and 96-07-08-alb08-217.
  • McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 221
    Caption: "CHICAGO AND BENNINGTON, OFFICERS & CREW." View of the USS Chicago. The flagship of the US fleet in the Pacific at the time, the USS Chicago was called to the fort after a boiler explosion on the USS Bennington killed sixty-six and wounded dozens more. A board of inquiry into the cause of the explosion was convened on board the Chicago. The board found that no error on the part of the Bennington's crew contributed to the explosion.