Patton Family Collection of Negatives and Photographs, 1885-1945; 1971, bulk 1895-1907

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Summary

Abstract:
The Patton Family Collection consists of 156 glass plate negatives, 218 film negatives, 875 photographs, and a negative book, 1885-1945 (bulk 1895-1907), created and/or collected by members of the Patton family and friends. Also included are photographs of Lake Vineyard II, 1971. The collection provides an intimate look into the private lives of one of Southern California's prominent families around the turn of the twentieth century.
Extent:
7.73 Linear Feet (16 boxes)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

Patton family Collection of Negatives and Photographs. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The Patton Family Collection consists of 156 glass plate negatives, 218 film negatives, 875 photographs, and a negative book, 1885-1945 (bulk 1895-1907), created and/or collected by members of the Patton family and friends. The collection provides an intimate look into the private lives of one of Southern California's prominent families around the turn of the twentieth century.

Boxes 1 and 2 contain copy prints of glass plate negatives taken by Ann Wilson, sister of Ruth Wilson Patton, and printed in her darkroom on the family's Lake Vineyard property. These photographs depict members of the Patton family and friends of the family; interiors of both of the Lake Vineyard houses in San Marino, California (Lake Vineyard I and II); views of the Lake Vineyard property; and photographs of the Patton family and friends on Santa Catalina Island and views of Catalina. Box 2 also contains photographs of Lake Vineyard II taken in 1971. Box 3 contains photographs of the Banning residence in Wilmington, California, along with images of the Patton and Banning families at family celebrations; and photographs (many created by studio photographers) of members of the Patton family, including George S. Patton, Jr.; Anne Wilson Patton; Ruth Wilson Patton; and George Smith Patton, Sr. Box 4 contains snapshots taken by an unidentified individual of (presumably) Patton family friends at various resort locations in California, including Catalina Island and Mount Tamalpais, as well as photographs of the Patton family at Lake Vineyard. Box 5 contains a photograph album created by Ann Wilson that contains images of members of both the Patton and Shorb families.

In addition to the images created by Ann Wilson, the collection includes photographs created by Joseph Harrison Lamson, Frank G. Schumacher, George Steckel, and James D. Westervelt.

Many photographs have annotations on the verso added in 1976 by Hancock Banning.

Biographical / historical:

In 1844, Benjamin D. Wilson, second Mayor of Los Angeles, married Ramona Yorba, daughter of Bernardo Yorba, a well-known land owner during California's Mexican period. After Ramona's death, Wilson married Margaret S. Hereford in 1853. He was the father of one son and three daughters. Mariona Wilson married James DeBarth Shorb (1842-1896) and Ruth Wilson married George Smith Patton (1856-1927) (one-time District Attorney of Los Angeles and the first Mayor of San Marino) on December 10, 1884. Ruth and George sired two children, George Smith Patton, Jr. (1885-1945) or "Georgie" and Anne Wilson Patton (1887-1971) or "Nita." George Smith Patton, Jr., General in the United States Army, became famous in World War II as "Old Blood and Guts."

Patton and his family resided at Lake Vineyard, apparently built by Benjamin Wilson on 128 acres in the heart of present-day San Marino. This house, Lake Vineyard I, was torn down in 1910 to make way for a larger house, Lake Vineyard II, which was the site of planning sessions for the incorporation of present-day San Marino.

Ann Wilson, Ruth Wilson Patton's sister, lived with the Patton family at Lake Vineyard and may have been the photographer for the images in the first four boxes of the collection, and was the photographer and creator of the photograph album in Box 5.

The Patton and Banning Families, both prominent in the history of Southern California, shared a close relationship; Benjamin Wilson and Phineas Banning (founder of the Port of Los Angeles and of Wilmington, California) were business partners. George S. Patton, Jr., married Beatrice Banning Ayer.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Anne Wilson Patton, 1957.
Processing information:

The glass plate negatives and prints made from those negatives were rehoused, numbered and arranged by Brita Mack and Jane Apostol in the late 1980s. Jane Apostol rehoused, numbered and arranged the remainder of the collection, and created the original Container List, in 2005. In November 2006, Sue Luftschein created this finding aid based, in part, on the original Container List.

Arrangement:

The collection is generally arranged by photographer and subject. Copy prints of Ann Wilson's glass plate negatives form the first part of the collection, followed by copy prints of photographs taken by an unidentified individual. Box 5 houses a photograph album compiled by Ann Wilson.

Physical / technical requirements:

The collection consists of glass plate and film negatives, copy prints from these negatives, and original photographs. Boxes 1-2 contain the copy prints, plus some photographs for which there are no existing negatives. Original glass plate negatives are housed in boxes 6-12. Original film negatives, boxes 13-16, are housed in cold storage.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Advance arrangements for viewing negatives must be made with the Curator of Photographs. The collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, please visit the Huntington's website: www.huntington.org.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

Patton family Collection of Negatives and Photographs. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2129
reference@huntington.org
Website