Monterey history photo collection

California Views:
The Pat Hathaway Photo Collection

Mr. Pat Hathaway, Photo Archivist

US
CA

Dedicated to the preservation of Californias photographic heritage

19th Century California Photographers
Some of the 19th-century photographers in California Views' historical photo archives include Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916), Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904), Isaiah W. Taber (1830-1912), C.W.J. Johnson (1833-1903), W.N. Tuttle (1844-1895), Richard J. Arnold (1856-1929), Charles K. Tuttle (1859-1939), A. W. Ericson (1848-1927), R.J. Waters (1856-1937), Frank Bequette Rodolph (1843-1923)
Thomas Houseworth (1828-1915) one view of the Mission at San Juan Bautista and Central Pacific Railroad train on Long Ravine Bridge # 1340, E.J. Hayward (1838-??) & Muzzall, H. W. (1844-??), Treu Ergeben "T.E." Hecht (1875-1937), George Fiske (1835-1918) and other early California and other photographer's including William Henry Jackson (1843-1942), Darius Kinsey (1869-1945), C.R. Savage (1832-1909).

We have over 33,633 historical California images listed in our database and can provide a computer generated list by subject, place, date, photographer and format or any combination of the above for a small fee.

Carleton E. Watkins (1829-1916)
Watkins was born on November 11, 1829 in New York State. He came to California in 1851 with his friend, C.P. Huntington. In 1854, he studied photography with R.H. Vance in San Jose. Watkins was active up and down the Pacific coast. In 1875 - 1876, he lost his studio and negatives to I.W. Taber. Taber put his own name on Watkins' photos.
But Watkins was not to be stopped by this. He set out to make a new series of views, but fate was not kind to him. He lost most of this work in the 1906 earthquake and fire in San Francisco.
He was committed to the Napa State Hospital in 1910 and died on June 23, 1916.
Watkins was primarily a landscape photographer--the Ansel Adams (1902-1984) of his time. He left a rich record of what he saw with his camera.

Watkins photographed the Del Monte Hotel, Carmel Mission, the Farallon Light house, Point Bonita Lighthouse, Point Lobos and the Chinese Fishing Village, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove, and Carmel on the Monterey Peninsula.
And the California Missions. Around 1880-1885 making stereo views and we have two Mammoth prints in our archives.

A list of our C.E. Watkins holdings and our online gallery of Watkins Photos.
          Holdings: The collection includes 113 of Watkins' images, including original and copy prints, and copy glass negatives.


Taber
I.W. Taber (1830-1912)
Isaiah West Taber was born in Massachusetts on September 17, 1830.
Taber came to California first in 1850 returning to New Bedford in 1854 for ten years and returning back to California in 1864 working for Bradley and Rulofson till 1871.
In 1872 He opened his own gallery at 12 Montgomery Street in San Francisco.
In n 1876 he aquaried the C.E. Watkins negatives making prints with his name on them but keeping Watkins numbers. Stereo view of the Farallon Lighthouse by Watkins on a Taber mount Point Bonita Lighthouse an other view by Taber of the Club house at Hotel del Monte. He was well known for his large stock of California Views. He lost his large collection of twenty tons of view and portrait glass negatives and Claus Spreckels in the 1906 S.F. Earthquake he was 76 years old at the time that was the end of his photographic career.
He died on February 22 of 1912.
          Holdings: The photo collection includes over 111 original and copy prints, and stereograph's our online gallery of I.W. Taber Photos.



C.W.J. Johnson, California Views Photo Archives 8x10 Glass Neg.
Accession # 78-010-0001
8x10 Glass plate negative.


cwj

C.W.J. Johnson (1833-1903)
Views of California Scenery

Charles Wallace Jacob Johnson by his photograph parlor at the Hotel del Monte Circa 1887.
C.W.J. Johnson, was also a miner, he had a one man band and taught dance and music before he came to Monterey and the Hotel del Monte he was the first official photographer, from the mid 1880s to the late 1890s. Johnson photographed a variety of subjects, including hotel guests, and the Pacific Grove Retreat, Carmel and Carmel Mission, farmers, ranchers of the Carmel Valley and Big Sur region.
He learned photography from William N. Tuttle of Arcata, Humboldt County and Northern California in the mid 1860s. In 1870, Johnson moved to San Francisco; went into partnership with T. Al Sullivan and married Sullivan's sister, Mrs. Norah Pardon on Dec. 2, 1875. He moved to Watsonville in 1877; and after to Monterey when the Hotel del Monte opened in June of 1880, he opened a gallery on first Alvarado street in Monterey (he moved his gallery to the hotel itself in 1887). Johnson was a very prolific photographer, leaving a rich photographic record of life in the Monterey Bay region.
Johnson was born in Maryland on August 3, 1833, the son of George M. and Matilda Johnson. He came to California in the 1850's and was active up to 1898 and he died in Salinas on January 17, 1903.

Holdings: Over 700 images from 5”x 8”, 6 ½”x 8 ½” and 8”x 10” glass negatives, original prints, and stereograph views.
Our online gallery of C.W.J. Johnson Photos.

C.K. Tuttle (Dec. 29, 1859- August 1939) Charles Kirkham Tuttle was an early druggist in Pacific Grove when he opened his Seaside Drug store on Lighthouse Avenue on April, 18th of 1887. He was also a very prolific and talented photographer that left a large collection of glass negatives of Pacific Grove and the Monterey area.
He probably became interested in photography when he saw how well the photos by C.WJ. Johnson that he sold in his drug store. He and Johnson had a long business association.
Tuttle also published a line of postcards from his photographs.
          Holdings: Over 680 images from 4”x 5”, 5”x 7”, 5”x8” ,6 ½”x8 ½, 8”x 10” and 11”x 14” glass negatives and original prints a gift from Winnifred Tuttle Beaumont his daughter in 1972.
For more photos by C.K. Tuttle from our photo collection.

Early Monterey area photographers that made postcards
Please click to see over 200 Searchable California Photo galleries with over 2,400 Photos s
Prints are available from 11x14 to 40x60 inches.
All images are also available for editorial downloads and one-time editorial use.
Please keep checking back as we will be adding more galleries
We are always looking for information and photographs by Central California photographers to add to our Photo Archives.
California Views home main menu
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Clara Sheldon Smith Photographer
Early Southern California Photographers
Photo of Hotel Del Monte, Circa 1887
Photo of Monterey St. photo by C.W.J. Johnson
Photo of Pacific Grove Retreat gate photo by C.W.J. Johnson
Photo of Carmel Mission by C.W.J. Johnson, Circa 1884
California Views Frequently Asked Questions
Go to list of photographers in the photograph collection
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A list of books, magazines and television programs that have used photos from the photo collection.

This page was first created on May 11, 1996
This page was last updated on October 1, 2019

Copyright©2019 California Views historical photographic collection
To obtain permission to use any photographs please contact Mr. Pat Hathaway
Dedicated to the preservation of our Monterey photographic heritage

Please send your comments and questions to
Mr. Pat Hathaway
Monterey, California 93940-2702
Phone (831) 373-3811
By Appointment Only
Pacific time Greenwich Mean Time -8

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