Historical Society of Southern California Collection -- Ana Bégué de Packman Collection of Photographs and Papers, approximately 1820-1955, bulk 1930s

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Summary

Abstract:
This collection contains photographs related to Southern California history that were collected by Ana Bégué de Packman (1882-1973), a descendant of early Spanish-Mexican landowners in the region and the Secretary of the Historical Society of Southern California from the 1930s to 1950s. The collection dates from 1820 to 1955 (bulk 1930s) and includes photographs, as well as correspondence, maps, ephemera, and newspaper clippings related to Southern California ranchos, the Spanish-Mexican families who owned them, and Los Angeles during the late 1800s. The majority of the collection consists of portraits of rancho families and their descendants, as well as photographs of the town of San Juan Capistrano and its environs, including Mission San Juan Capistrano and the adobe houses surrounding the mission. Photographers include: Charles C. Pierce, Charles J. Prudhomme, Charles C. Puck, and Edward Vischer.
Extent:
2.6 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

Historical Society of Southern California Collection -- Ana Bégué de Packman Collection of Photographs and Papers. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains 209 photographs and negatives related to Southern California history that were collected by Ana Bégué de Packman, a descendant of early Spanish-Mexican landowners in the region and the Secretary of the Historical Society of Southern California from the 1930s to 1950s. The collection dates from 1820 to 1955 (bulk 1930s) and includes photographs, as well as correspondence, maps, ephemera, and newspaper clippings related to Southern California ranchos, the Spanish-Mexican families who owned them, and Los Angeles during the late 1800s. The majority of the collection consists of portraits of rancho families and their descendants, as well as photographs of the town of San Juan Capistrano and its environs, including Mission San Juan Capistrano and the adobe houses surrounding the mission.

The photographs include a variety of formats and sizes, and photographers include: Charles C. Pierce, Charles J. Prudhomme, Charles C. Puck, and Edward Vischer.

The collection includes a small number of the California rancho families are pictured in both professional and amateur portraits, with a focus on the Dominguez, Machado, Sepulveda, and Yorba families. Other portraits include those of Los Angeles mayors and pioneers, such as Matthew Keller, Cameron Erskine Thom, and Elijah H. Workman.

Photographs of Mission San Juan Capistrano show the mission complex in ruins, with views of the church, courtyard, bell tower, and outside workspaces. The interior of the restored Serra Chapel are also shown, with an emphasis on the altarpiece and its statuary. Other missions that are shown in the collection are Missions Santa Barbara, San Antonio de Padua, and San Gabriel Arcangel.

Another emphasized portion of the collection concerns adobe houses, specifically ones that are or had been located in the western and southern parts of San Juan Capistrano. Among these adobes are the Blas Aguilar Adobe, Casa de Los Rios, the Burruel Adobe, the Manuel Garcia Adobe, and the Domingo Yorba Adobe. Other Southern California adobes that are also included are the Yorba-Slaughter Adobe, the Dana Adobe, and the Workman-Temple Homestead. Oversized photographs show La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Angeles (Plaza Church) and the statue of Felipe de Neve in Los Angeles Plaza.

Notable photographs include an interesting photograph of Plaza Church shows Don Antonio F. Coronel surveying the church exterior. Another photograph relating to the Los Angeles area is one of the Beverly Hills Centennial Parade with Eugene W. Biscailuz, Leo Carrillo, and William Boyd on horseback. Of particular interest are two tintypes related to photographer Charles J. Prudhomme. The first is of his mother, Maria Merced Tapia de Prudhomme, and the other is of Prudhomme's daughter.

The rest of the collection contains correspondence, maps, notes, ephemera, and negatives. Noteworthy items from these materials include: a manuscript letter written by Manuel Dominguez; postcards from Bruce Condé (Alfonso de Bourbon Condé) to Ana Bégué de Packman; death notices for Isaac Williams and Henry Mellus; a glass plate negative of Horton House in San Diego; a film negative of Juan Bandini and his daughter Ysidora; and an index book with the names of rancho families written in Packman's hand. Photographs with corresponding film negatives are: (12), (26), and (29).

Biographical / historical:

Ana Bégué de Packman (1882-1973), a descendent of Juan Francisco Reyes, the alcade of the Pueblo de Los Angeles, served as the Secretary of the Historical Society of Southern California from the 1930s through the 1950s; she was involved in educational outreach programs, took part in speaking engagements, and supported restoration efforts for various California landmarks. Packman was also the curator of Casa Figueroa from 1934 to 1941, an historic Los Angeles adobe built by Don Ramon Figueroa prior to the arrival of Anglo-Americans that was later demolished in 1965.

Founded in 1883, the Historical Society of Southern California (HSSC) is the oldest historical society in California. As part of its mission to collect and preserve Southern California's history, the HSSC amassed a photo archive over many decades. The HSSC shifted its emphasis to programs and publications in the 1980s and, in 1992, the organization donated its photo archive to The Huntington Library.

The Historical Society of Southern California Collection contains approximately 15,000 photographs and negatives focused on Southern California from approximately 1870 to 1980. As such, it is an important visual record of the growth and history of the region. The collection represents a variety of donations made to the Society over many years. It is organized into discrete sub-collections (each with a unique "volume" number) within the overall collection, which is identified by call number photCL 400.

Acquisition information:
Gift of the Historical Society of Southern California, ca. 2008.
Physical facet:
(209 photographs: 179 prints, 18 film negatives, 9 stereographs, 2 tintypes, 1 glass plate negative) ; prints 25 x 35.5 cm (10 x 14 in.) and smaller + correspondence, maps, ephemera, notes, and a name index.)
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

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:

Historical Society of Southern California Collection -- Ana Bégué de Packman Collection of Photographs and Papers. 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
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