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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 04, Photograph 232
    No caption, c. 1920. Unidentified man and woman on horseback in front of trees and bushes, near picnic table, in the Searsville Lake area. See also 96-07-08-alb04-231.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 231
    Caption: "Searsville Lake," c. 1920. William McCarthy and unidentified woman on horseback in front of trees and bushes. Searsville Lake, formed by the Searsville Dam, is located in San Mateo County, California. See also 96-07-08-alb04-232.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 230
    Caption: "Pinnacles," c. 1920. Grace McCarthy seated on a rocky outcropping in front of cliffs with unique rock formations in background. Pinnacles National Park was formerly Pinnacles National Monument, established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The rock formations are the eroded remains of the Neenach Volcano.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 229
    No caption, c. 1920. Four-horse draft team apparently hitched to automobile, with trees and houses in background.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 228
    No caption, c. 1920. Unidentified man and woman embracing on bench near the Russian River. See also 96-07-08-alb04-227.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 227
    No caption, c. 1920. Unidentified man and woman on bench near the Russian River. See also 96-07-08-alb04-228.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 226
    Caption: "Hopland-Clear Lake Highway," c. 1925. Birdseye view of the Hopland Grade (also called the Hopland Pass), now part of California State Route 175 connecting Hopland (Mendocino County) with Lakeport on Clear Lake, in Lake County. The road, built in the early 1920s, is sometimes called the "crookedest road in California."
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 225
    Caption: "Blue Lakes," c. 1920. Lake surrounded by wooded mountains.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 224
    Caption: "July 4th Healdsburg," c. 1921. View of river bank along the Russian River near Healdsburg. People are gathered along the shore, watching the beginning of a swimming contest. A line of swimmers is in the process of leaping into the river, in the middle right portion of the photograph.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 223
    Caption: "Healdsburg Bridge," c. 1921. The Healdsburg Memorial Bridge, built in 1921, is a pin-connected Pennsylvania through truss structure across the Russian River in Sonoma County, near Healdsburg. A line of people stands at the bridge railing in this photograph.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 222
    Caption: "Highlands Inn," c. 1920. Grace McCarthy sitting on a bench on the stone and timber porch of the Highlands Inn in Carmel Highlands, a few miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The hotel was built in 1917.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 221
    Caption: "Del Monte.," c. 1920. William and Grace McCarthy standing with an automobile in front of the Hotel Del Monte. The second of three hotels built on the site, near Monterey, California, the building in this photograph was destroyed by fire in 1924. The property surrounding the hotel became known as Pebble Beach, now a world-renowned resort and golf course.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 220
    No caption, c. 1920. View of rocky cliffs with D.L. James House (designed by Charles Greene and built in 1918) on the left side of the image.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 219
    Caption: "Views from Highlands Inn," c. 1920. View of the D.L. James House, designed by Charles Greene and built in 1918. The picturesque stone house sits atop a rocky cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a few miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 218
    Caption: "Midway Point.," c. 1920. Now-iconic image of a rocky outcropping near Pebble Beach, extending into the Pacific Ocean, with a single cypress tree near the top. This tree, sometimes referred to as the "Lone Cypress," has been photographed extensively over the past century. This tree and outcropping can still be seen as part of the 17-Mile Drive, a scenic road tour of the Pebble Beach Resort area in Monterey County.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 217
    No caption, c. 1920. Scene of rocky sea cliffs and ocean, with trees bracketing the view. May be near Midway Point, near Pebble Beach.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 216
    Caption: "Stanford Stadium," c. 1921. Birdseye view of the Stanford Stadium, which opened in 1921. This stadium has since been replaced by a more modern facility built in 2005-2006.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 215
    *Caption: "Stanford University Chapel," c. 1920. Five unidentified women standing in front of the Stanford Memorial Chapel on the campus of Stanford University. Designed by Charles A. Coolidge and dedicated in 1903, the church was commissioned by Jane Stanford as a memorial to her husband, Leland Stanford. See also 96-07-08-alb04-202 and 96-07-08-alb05-063.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 214
    Caption: "Roman Plunge -- Del Monte.," c. 1920. The Hotel Del Monte, near Monterey, featured a "roman plunge," a swimming pool built in 1915.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 213
    Caption: "Old Spanish Fort -- Petaluma," c. 1920. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo began construction on the Petaluma Adobe in 1836, as a ranch house and defensive structure. It is now the centerpiece of Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park, having been reconstructed after deterioration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. It is the largest existing, privately-built adobe in the state.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 212
    No caption, c. 1920. Unidentified, smiling child seated in field surrounded by grass.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 211
    No caption, c. 1920. Grace McCarthy standing on a log in front of an unidentified lake.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 210
    Caption: "Santa Cruz," c. 1920. Group of unidentified people on a beach in Santa Cruz, including Grace McCarthy (far right).
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 209
    Caption: "Santa Cruz," c. 1920. Five swimsuit-clad women (including Grace McCarthy, far left) on a beach in Santa Cruz. See also 96-07-08-alb04-207, 208.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 208
    No caption, c. 1920. William McCarthy leaning over a beach umbrella shading three women, including Grace McCarthy (far right). All are wearing swimsuits. See also 96-07-08-alb04-207, 209.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 207
    No caption, c. 1920. William (kneeling in front) and Grace McCarthy (far right) on Santa Cruz beach with two unidentified women, all in swimsuits. See also 96-07-08-alb04-208, 209.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 206
    Caption: "Clear Lake.," c. 1920. William (second from left) and Grace (far right) McCarthy seated around an automobile in a picnic area or campground, with two unidentified women.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 205
    Caption: "Del Monte," c. 1920. Five unidentified women standing in front of a palm tree on the grounds of the Hotel Del Monte. The photograph shows the second of three hotels built on the site, near Monterey, California (this building was destroyed by fire in 1924). The property surrounding the hotel became known as Pebble Beach.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 204
    Caption: "Blue Lakes," c. 1920. Lake with surrounding rolling hills/mountains.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 203
    Caption: "Blue Lakes," c. 1920. Lake with surrounding rolling hills/mountains.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 202
    *Caption: "Stanford Chapel," c. 1920. Façade of Stanford Memorial Chapel, designed by Charles A. Coolidge and dedicated in 1903. The church was commissioned by Jane Stanford as a memorial to her husband and the University's founder, Leland Stanford. See also 96-07-08-alb04-215.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 201
    Caption: "Stanford University," c. 1920. Main entrance gate to Stanford University.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 200
    Caption: "Santa Cruz Big Trees," c. 1920. Grace McCarthy standing in a grove of giant sequoias near Santa Cruz, California.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 199
    Caption: "Bijou Lake Tahoe," c. 1915-1920. Grace McCarthy standing in front of a small garden with the Bijou Inn in the background.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 198
    Caption: "Reservoir -- Fallon Nevada.," c. 1915-1920. View of Lahontan Dam on the Carson River, between Fallon and Carson City, Nevada.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 197
    Caption: "Donner Lake," c. 1915-1920. View of Donner Lake, with peaks in background and buildings (possibly resort buildings) on the far shore.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 196
    No caption, c. 1915-1920. William (far left) and Grace (second from the right) with three unidentified women, standing in front of garden at an unknown location.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 195
    Caption: "Bijou Inn -- Lake Tahoe.," c. 1915-1920. William and Grace McCarthy standing next to automobile near Bijou Inn and store in the Lake Tahoe area.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 194
    No caption, c. 1915-1920. Photograph taken from plane, with an unidentified lake below.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 193
    Caption: "Aeroplane [sic] Scenes Above the Clouds.," c. 1915-1920. Photograph taken in an unidentified location, from what appears to have been a biplane (given the small portion of wing that is visible on the left side of the photograph). The locale is unknown.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 192
    Caption: "Eagle Falls -- Lake Tahoe.," c. 1915-1920. Side view of head of Eagle Falls, near Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 191
    Caption: "Lake Tahoe," c. 1915-1920. William and Grace McCarthy posing for a photograph with an unidentified young woman, on a steep hillside in front of pine trees.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 190
    Caption: "Ogden Canyon," c. 1915-1920. Railroad tracks and a raised roadbed (with stone retaining wall) bracket Ogden Creek in this image, surrounded by steep, rocky canyon walls.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 189
    Caption: "Ogden Canyon," c. 1915-1920. Railroad tracks and a raised roadbed (with stone retaining wall) bracket Ogden Creek in this image, with a bridge and steep canyon walls also visible.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 188
    No caption, c. 1917-1920. Several biplanes parked in a field, likely at Camp Lewis, Washington.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 187
    Caption: "My Trip in an Aeroplane -- Camp Lewis, Wash.," c. 1917-1920. William McCarthy in the rear seat of a biplane, either getting ready to take off or having just landed.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 186
    Caption: "Scene in the Petrified Forest.," c. 1915-1920. Petrified tree trunk separated from pathway by fence. It is unknown in which petrified forest locale the photograph was taken.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 185
    No caption, c. 1915-1920. Petrified tree trunk partially buried at unidentified location.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 184
    No caption, c. 1915-1920. Several people (including William and Grace McCarthy at the far left) picnicking at an unidentified location.
  • McCarthy Album 04, Photograph 183
    Caption: "Camp Life -- Utah National Guard.," c. 1915-1920. Two Utah National Guardsmen standing in front of tent at an unidentified location.