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 10, Photograph 319
Caption: "Yosemite Zip," c. 1935. This is possibly a postcard that shows a comical creature made with parts of pine cones, acorns, feathers, and nuts.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 318
Caption: "Mariposa Grove big redwood tree, California. Yosemite National Park," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 317
No Caption: An unidentified young girl riding a donkey at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 316
No Caption: An unidentified young girl sitting atop a donkey, with Grace McCarthy standing beside them at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 315
No Caption: c. 1935. Pictured are William and Grace McCarthy standing at the entrance to the famous Wawona Tunnel Tree, a giant sequoia that stood in Mariposa Grove of Yosemite National Park. The tree's tunnel was cut in 1881 as a tourist attraction. In 1969, the tree fell during a severe winter storm. Before it fell, the ancient tree measured 234 ft. high, twenty-six ft. in diameter, and was approximately 2,100 years old.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 314
No Caption: Grace and William McCarthy are seen sitting on a wall at a vista point that overlooks the majestic granite mountains of Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 313
No Caption: A big tree at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 312
No Caption: Redwood trees in Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 311
No Caption: The Ahwahnee Hotel opened in 1927. The rustic design (Gilbert Stanley Underwood, architect) is often described as "parkitecture," meaning it is meant to match its surroundings, like many structures in National Parks built in that era. The hotel was renamed the Majestic Yosemite Hotel in 2016.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 310
No Caption: Three California Indian children standing before a wigwam, one in traditional clothing, at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 309
No Caption: Two California Indian children standing before a wigwam at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 308
No Caption: William and Grace McCarthy standing on a rock near a waterfall at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 307
No Caption: An unidentified group of California Indian women and children standing in front of a wigwam covered in tree bark. A young child in front of the group is dressed in traditional clothing.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 306
No Caption: William and Grace McCarthy standing on a rock near a waterfall at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 305
No Caption: A group of unidentified women and girls on bicycles at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 304
No Caption: An unidentified campground in Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 303
No Caption: Grace McCarthy is seen standing near the Camp Curry sign at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935. Camp Curry was established in 1899 and renamed Half Dome Village in 2016.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 302
No Caption: People at the overhanging rocks at Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 301
No Caption: A birds-eye view of Yosemite Valley with the Merced River running through it, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 300
Caption: "Happy Isles - Yosemite National Park," c. 1935, shows an unidentified rushing river.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 299
No Caption: An unidentified waterfall at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 298
Caption: "Indian Wigwam, Yosemite National Park," c. 1935, shows Grace and William McCarthy standing at the entrance to an Indian abode covered in tree bark.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 297
No Caption: An unidentified hotel in Yosemite National Park, C. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 296
Caption: "Glacier Point - Overhanging Rock - Yosemite National Park," c. 1935, shows people standing on the overhanging rock of Glacier Point.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 295
Caption: "Balance Rock - Yosemite," c. 1935, shows Grace McCarthy standing near a precariously balanced rock at Yosemite National Park.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 294
Caption: "Mirror Lake - Yosemite National Park," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 293
No Caption: An unidentified waterfall at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 292
Caption: "Cascade Falls - Yosemite National Park," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 291
No Caption: In this 1935 photograph, the opening of the Wawona highway tunnel frames the Yosemite Valley with El Capitan (the Captain) on the left, Bridalveil Falls on the right, and Half Dome in the distance.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 290
Caption: "Big trees growing in solid rock. Yosemite National Park," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 289
No Caption: A birds-eye view of the granite mountains in Yosemite National Park.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 288
Caption: "Vernal Falls [sic]- Yosemite National Park," c. 1935. A view of Vernal Fall at Yosemite National Park.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 287
Caption: "Yosemite Falls," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 286
No Caption: In this 1935 photograph, the opening of the Wawona highway tunnel frames the Yosemite Valley with El Capitan (the Captain) on the left, Bridalveil Falls on the right, and Half Dome in the distance.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 285
Caption: "Nevada Falls, Yosemite National Park," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 284
Caption: "Vernal Falls [sic]- Yosemite Park," c. 1935. A view of Vernal fall at Yosemite National Park.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 283
No Caption: A view of Half Dome at Yosemite National Park, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 282
No Caption: Grace McCarthy seated on the veranda of the Highlands Inn, which opened in 1917 at Carmel-by-the-Sea, in Monterey County, c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 281
Caption: "Monterey Shore. - View from Highlands Inn, Calif.," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 280
Caption: "Blue Lakes - Lake Co., Calif.," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 279
Caption: "Beauty Camp - Laytonville, Calif. Isn't it ducky? Flock of wild ducks being fed," c. 1935, shows William McCarthy feeding a flock of wild ducks.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 278
Caption: "The Coolidge Redwood Tree. Redwood Highway, Calif.," c. 1935. William and Grace pose with their automobile at the Coolidge Redwood Tree on the Redwood Highway in Mendocino County, named after Col. John Coolidge, father of President Calvin Coolidge.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 277
Caption: Eureka Court House, CAL. Eureka Population 1500," c. 1935. The Eureka County Courthouse was completed in 1889 (Curtis and Bennett, architects) in the Italianate style. The building survived several fires and earthquakes with some damage. It was condemned in 1956 and subsequently demolished to build a new, more modern facility.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 276
Caption: "Redwood Highway near Scotia," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 275
Caption: "The Rocky Coast near Eureka, Calif.," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 274
Caption: "Fairy Dell - Big Tree Grove near Crescent City, Calif.," c. 1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 273
Caption: "Big Tree, General Custer - near Crescent City, Cal.," c.1935.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 272
Caption: "Redwood Highway near Crescent City," c. 1935. U.S. Route 101, or the Redwood Highway as it is known in northern California, was established in 1926. It is also known as El Camino Real (The Royal Road) along the southern and central California Coast and approximates the old trail that linked the missions, pueblos, and presidios of the Spanish era.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 271
Caption: "Oregon Caves Chateau," c. 1935. The Oregon Caves National Monument was established in 1909. The Oregon Caves Chateau, built in the rustic style (Gust Lium, architect), opened in 1934. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark.
McCarthy Album 10, Photograph 270
Caption: "Loop in Oregon Caves Highway," c. 1935.