Photographs

Dates: 1869-2008   Collection number: MS 189   Creator: African American Museum & Library at Oakland   Collection Size: 21.25 linear feet (30 boxes + 2 oversized boxes + 2 oversized drawers)   Guide to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph Collection consists of 1,953 photographs documenting African Americans in California between 1869-2008. The photograph collection consists of photographs donated to the African American Museum & Library at Oakland, and its predecessor the East Bay Negro Historical Society. The collection is organized into 28 series by subject, and includes photographs of significant African Americans such Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and Byron Rumford, and documents various aspects of the African American community in Oakland including athletics, business, churches, civil rights, early pioneers, entertainment, military, fraternal and women's organizations. View online items We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Materials relating to the 1942 Retail Clerks' Union strike against Safeway stores, the 1946-47 Oakland General Strike, and the 1949 Retail Food Clerks Union strike and attendant jurisdictional dispute with the Teamsters' Union (OHC COLL 2014-12) 5 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Photographs taken by Andrew Ritchie in Oakland, California (1990-1991). The bulk of the photographs are of the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm, taken both during and after the fire. Ritchie photographed the active burn while working alongside other civilians to fight off the fire with garden hoses, successfully saving two homes, and revisited the burn zone later to document the destruction. Also includes a letter of commendation from President George H.W. Bush, for Ritchie's role in fighting the fire, and a series of negatives taken at a Nelson Mandela rally at the Oakland Auditorium, 1990.   (OHC COLL 2024-5)   3 folders in 1 box (.8 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library. 

The James E. Brackett papers include 91 photographs and Olive Brackett’s class notes and textbook attending Lee Ann’s Academy of Cosmetology in Oakland, California. Photographs are arranged by subject into four subseries: Brackett family photographs, military service, NAACP events, and assorted. Dates: 1932-1976   Collection number: MS 94   Creator: Brackett, James E.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the James E. Brackett Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Amanda Brown Photograph Collection includes 37 family photographs and portraits of African Americans mostly in the San Francisco Bay area during the 1910-1920s. Dates: circa 1910s-1940   Collection number: MS 90   Creator: Brown, Amanda.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Amanda Brown Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Robert A. Cavallero papers include 29 photographs of U.S. Navy seamen training at the U.S. Naval Training Station in Great Lakes, Illinois in 1942-1943. The papers include 22 photographs of U.S. Navy cadets posing with their commanding officer, Robert A. Cavallero, and seven panoramic group photographs of U.S. Navy Companies 421, 721, 781, 1211, and 1421 under the command of Robert A. Cavallero at the U.S. Naval Training Station in Great Lakes, Illinois. The papers also include a thank you letter given to Robert A. Cavallero by U.S. Navy cadets. Dates: 1942-1943   Collection number: MS 76   Collector: Cavallero, Robert A.   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (2 boxes)   Guide to the Robert A. Cavallero Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Rebecca Emerson Papers include photographs, correspondence, legal documents, and ephemera that document the activities of Rebecca Emerson and the Prince family in Texas. The papers are organized into four series: Rebecca Emerson, Prince family manuscripts, Clem Emerson, and Curtis Parrish. The bulk of the papers are 1048 photographs that document Emerson’s family and friends beginning in the 1910s through the 1970s. The photographs have been organized roughly by location, documenting Emerson’s time living in San Antonio, Texas in the 1920s, with various photographs of Emerson and friends at the San Antonio missions, San Pedro Park, Brackenridge Park, and flooding in downtown San Antonio; a trip to Colorado in 1923; assorted portraits of Emerson and her family and friends; and hunting, fishing, and assorted photographs while she was living in Alaska in the 1940s.  Dates: 1867-1978   Bulk Dates: 1915-1953   Collection number: MS 43   Creator: Emerson, Rebecca   Collection Size: 3.25 linear feet (7 boxes)   Guide to the Rebecca Emerson Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Jonathan Eubanks (1927- ) is a documentary and portrait photographer from Oakland, California recognized for his work with the Black Panther Party. The Jonathan Eubanks Photograph Collection includes seven photographs of Black Panther Party members at a “Free Huey” rally held in 1969, including portraits of prominent party members Stokely Carmichael, Eldridge and Kathleen Cleaver, and Bobby Seale. Also included is a portrait of Marcella Ford taken in the 1990s. Dates: circa 1969-1990s   Bulk Dates: 1969   Collection number: MS 150   Creator: Eubanks, Jonathan   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Jonathan Eubanks Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Photojournalist Marion Neal Fay (1939-2016) covered Bay Area social movements and political events while working as a staff photographer for the Sun-Reporter in the 1960's. Her photographs cover a variety of topics, such as the San Francisco State College strike, Black Panther Party rallies, the Occupation of Alcatraz, peace protests, draft resistance, Bay Area Poor People's Campaign activities, and more. Images of the desegregation of the Berkeley Unified School District and of housing and urban development in the Western Addition and Fillmore Districts are especially noteworthy. More than 300 photographic negatives that Marion Neal Fay shot while working for the Sun-Reporter are included in the Marion Neal Fay Photograph Collection. Dates: 1967-1970    Collection number: MS 229   Creator: Fay, Marion   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Flood family was one of the earliest and most prominent African American families to settle in Oakland, California. After purchasing his freedom, Isaac Flood (1816-1892) moved to California in following the Gold Rush, settling in Oakland in 1853. He worked as a laborer and tradesman and married Elizabeth Thorn Scott (1828-1867) in 1855, a school teacher from Sacramento who started the first public school for African American students in the state. In 1857, Elizabeth opened a private school in the Flood home for African American students, which was moved to the African Methodist Church in 1863 and operated for three years before closing in 1866. The couple had two children, George Francis Flood, who was born in 1857 and was thought to be the first African American born in Oakland, California, and Lydia Flood (1862-1963). The Flood Family Papers includes 18 photographs, Lydia Flood Jackson’s funeral program, and two letters written by Lydia Flood Jackson to Ruth Lasartemay. View online items Dates: circa 1850s-1963   Collection number: MS 49   Collector: Flood, Lydia Flood.   Creator: Flood family.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (2 folders)   Guide to the Flood Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Francis Marion Smith, better known as "Borax" Smith, was born in Richmond, Wisconsin, in 1846, and made his fortune mining a large borax deposit he discovered in the Mojave Desert in 1872. His "20 Mule Team Borax" became a household brand and made him a millionaire many times over. In 1881 he and his wife Mary settled in Oakland, California, and soon began work on their large estate, Arbor Villa, and eventually the grand central home "Oak Hall." Smith was a civic leader in Oakland, creating the Realty Syndicate, which developed many of Oakland’s neighborhoods, and the Key System, a streetcar and ferry system providing transportation in the East Bay and across the bay to San Francisco. Through his United Properties Co. of California Smith also led early efforts to consolidate water services in the Oakland area. Smith and his wife were also active philanthropists, funding hospitals, holding charity fundraisers, and founding the Mary R. Smith Trust for orphaned girls in 1901 which cared for girls in cottages built on the estate. Following Mary's death in 1905, Smith eventually remarried in 1907 to Evelyn Ellis and the couple had four children. After losing and regaining his fortune and following several strokes, Smith stepped down from his companies in 1928 and he and Evelyn left Oak Hall and Arbor Villa, moving to a smaller home near Lake Merritt. Francis Marion Smith died at Oakland's Fabiola Hospital in 1931 and is buried in nearby Mountain View Cemetery.   (OHC MSS SMITH) 16 folders, .5 linear feet Arranged in three series. Series 1. Corporate records, 1910-1923 -- Series 2. Personal papers, 1888, circa 1900-1931-- Series 3. Mary R. Smith Trust, 1902-1944. Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.    Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Correspondence, research notes, and copies of materials relating to the life of Horace Walpole Carpentier assembled by Frederick J. Monteagle of Piedmont, California. Mr. Monteagle corresponded with staff members from Universities and State Libraries throughout California and New York regarding information in their collections pertaining to or originating with Mr. Carpentier and many of the strings of correspondence contain copies of letters by Mr. Carpentier or his lawyers. The Galway folder consists of photographs of headstones from cemeteries in Galway, New York, a brief histoy of the town, "A Tour of Galway Today with glimpses of the past" presented by the Galway Bicentennial Commission, and other materials relating to the Carpentier (previously Carpenter) family's history in Galway. (OHC COLL 2014-18) 6 folders in 1 box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Photographer Cleveland Glover (1922-1995) was born on August 22, 1922 in Savannah, Georgia to Freddie and Susie Glover. After attending school in Savannah, Glover joined the U.S. Army and served as an Army photographer and film projectionist during World War II and the Korean War. He would eventually rise to the rank of Master Sargent and was the African American photographer assigned to the West Point Academy and was General Maxwell D. Taylor’s official photographer. The Cleveland Glover Papers include photographs, certificates, newspaper clippings, and a funeral program that document the life and activities of photographer Cleveland Glover. The bulk of the papers are photographs taken by Glover while serving in the U.S. Army in the 1950s-1960s. Dates: 1951-1995   Bulk Dates: 1951-1960   Collection number: MS 66   Creator: Glover, Cleveland.   Collection Size: 2.25 linear feet (1 box + 2 oversized boxes)   Guide to the Cleveland Glover Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Materials relating to the Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) held on San Francisco's Treasure Island in 1939 and 1940. Includes guidebooks, maps, exhibit and event descriptions, tickets, and other materials. (OHC COLL 2013-3) 5 folders in 2 boxes (.8 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Primarily photographs and newspaper articles concerning the Golden State Company and one of its managers, Harold L. Hunt. The photographs show workers and managers in various activities, and many take place in a production facility, probably the Oakland milk distribution plant. Most of the photographs lack captions. (OHC COLL 2014-11) 2 folders in box (.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Curtis E. Green (1924-2002) was the first African American to administer a major U.S. transit system. Born in Louisiana, he served in the Marine Corps during World War II then moved to San Francisco where he worked as a Muni bus driver beginning in 1945. He worked as a bus driver for twenty years and was promoted to the Director of Personnel and Safety in 1969 and Deputy General Manager in 1973. He was promoted again the following year to General Manager of Muni which he would run until his retirement in 1982. The Curtis E. Green Photograph Collection consists of 11 photographs documenting the Lawson National Distribution Company’s bus contract with the San Francisco Municipal Railway and the dedication ceremony of the Curtis E. Green Light Rail Center. Dates: 1975-1987   Collection number: MS 75   Creator: Green, Curtis E.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (1 folder)   Guide to the Curtis E. Green Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: 1929-1988   Collection number: MS 16   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Charlotte Harris Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Charlotte Harris Papers include photographs, postcards, church programs, and awards related to the activities of the Harris and Fletcher families. The bulk of the collection is photographs of family and friends of Charlotte Harris in Seattle, Washington and Berkeley, California. There are also group photographs of the Ladies of Leisure, an African American women's social club in Berkeley, California. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Ida Hill Photograph Collection includes 29 photographs of various members of the Hill and Robinson families, group photographs of African American masons, and Dicy Robinson’s memorial card. A bulk of the collection are family photographs of William and Ida Hill and their children William Hill Jr., Alfred Hill, and Beverly Hill in Oakland and Alameda, California. The collection also includes a cabinet card taken in New Orleans, Louisiana, most likely of Ida Robinson Hill’s father sometime in the 1860s and a group photograph of the Robinson family taken in front of their home in the 1890s. The collection includes ten group photographs of various African American masonic groups in California in the 1930-1950s. Dates: circa 1860s-1971   Collection number: MS 58   Creator: Hill, Ida.   Collection Size: .1 linear feet (2 folders)   Guide to the Ida Hill Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Ina Donna Coolbrith was California's first Poet Laureate and the first librarian of the Oakland Free Library. Correspondence, photographs, poems and other materials of California poet Ina Donna Coolbrith. Also includes some papers of her niece and grandniece.  (OHC MSS COOLBRITH)  23 folders and 1 box. Arranged into four series: Personal papers (folders 1-11 and box 1); Writings (folders 12-17); Professional papers (folders 18-21); and Family papers (folders 22-23). Go here for a more detailed description of this collection's contents.    Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Harold Slim Jenkins (1890-1967) was born on July 22, 1890 in Monroe, Louisiana. He moved to Oakland, California shortly after World War I, worked as a waiter, and would eventually open his famed Slim Jenkins Cafe at 1748 Seventh St. in West Oakland on December 5, 1933 the day prohibition was repealed. Jenkins owned and operated a number of West Oakland restaurants, liquor stores, and night clubs which earned him the affectionate title of the mayor of West Oakland. The Harold Jenkins Photograph Collection includes 81 photographs documenting Harold  Slim  Jenkins' various businesses in downtown Oakland, California. A majority of the photographs are publicity stills of bands and performers, interior shots of patrons and employees, or exterior photographs of Jenkins' businesses used for advertisements. View online items Dates: 1930-1953   Bulk Dates: 1948-1953   Collection number: MS 11   Collector: Jenkins, Harold, 1890-1967   Creator: Joseph, E. J.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Harold Jenkins Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Primarily letters to and from American poet Joaquin Miller. Most of the letters written by Miller are to his second wife, Abbie Leland Miller, and Piedmont, California, native Miss Dagmar Games. Well known correspondents include fellow poets Ina Coolbrith and George Sterling, journalists George Wharton James and Blanche Partington, and publisher Mrs. Frank Leslie. Also includes photographs of Joaquin Miller, mostly taken in the last decade of his life near his home, The "Hights," in the hills above Oakland, California, perhaps a half dozen manuscript and typescript poems, and a few newspaper clippings. (OHC MSS MILLER, JOAQUIN) 9 folders, .5 linear feet Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Materials documenting President John F. Kennedy's Charter Day speech at the University of California, Berkeley on Mar. 23, 1962. Included in the collection are photographs and letters of personal observations from people who had contact with President Kennedy during his visit and from the public at large.  (OHC COLL 2013-15) 2 boxes (.6 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The Helene Johnson Photograph Collection includes 54 photographs of family and friends of Helene Johnson and group photographs of African American golfers at golf tournament awards ceremonies in the 1950s. The golfing photographs include group photographs of African American golfers participating in the Fong Cup, B.A.G.C. annual tournament, and of the Fairway Golf Club of San Francisco. Dates: circa 1920s-1960   Collection number: MS 61   Creator: Johnson, Helene.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Helene Johnson Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Photographer Emmanuel Francis (E. F.) Joseph (1900-1979) was born on November 8, 1900 in St. Lucia, West Indies. He was the first professional African American photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area operating a commercial and studio photography business in his home initially at 1303 Adeline St. and then at 384 50th St. in Oakland. The E.F. Joseph photograph collection includes 2487 photographs from Joseph’s work as a portrait and commercial photographer. The collection is organized into four series: Portraits, Commercial photography, Assorted photographs, and Letter and customer card. View online items Dates: 1915-1964   Collection number: MS 126   Creator: Joseph, E. F. (Emmanuel Francis), 1900-1979.   Collection Size: 22.5 linear feet (28 boxes)   Guide to the E. F. Joseph Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Joseph Lewis Walton was an ironworker on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge during its construction in the 1930s. Walton's daughter, Sandra M. Flinton, assembled this collection from Walton's photo albums. Some of the photos show Walton at work on the bridge and are so indicated.   (OHC COLL 2019-11) The collection contains 77 black-and-white photographs ranging in size from 3 x 4.5 in. to 4.75 x 7.25 in. Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.    

Primarily correspondence and photographs of longtime Oakland, California, resident Juanita Miller. Also includes handwritten and typescript notes on the annual productions she put on in Joaquin Miller Park's Woodminster Amphitheater to celebrate the literary legacy of her father, poet Joaquin Miller, drafts of her writings, and her applications for recognition as a Native Daugher of the Golden West and for her father as a Pioneer of California, blank postcards from a series she copywrited featuring her father and their life together at "The Hights," and two volumes of posthumous clippings relating to her father. Notable correspondents include her father, poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox, author and politician Robert B. Roosevelt, and lecturer George Wharton James. The photographs mostly date from her adult years, many showing her annual productions in Woodminster Amphitheater.  Juanita Joaquina Miller was born in New York, New York, in 1880, the only child of poet Joaquin Miller and his second wife, hotel heiress Abbie Leland Miller. After her father's death in 1913, Juanita Miller continued living at "The Hights," dedicating the rest of her life to the arts and to relentlessly promoting her father's legacy and writings. She died in an Oakland convalescent hospital in 1970 after a brief illness. (OHC MSS MILLER, JUANITA) 12 folders (.5 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The Richard D. Larsen photograph collection consists of 55 photographs of an Arbor Day tree planting ceremony in Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland, California on March 7, 1978. Many of photographs show California Governor Jerry Brown speaking to a crowd at the event, the California National Guard Historic Music Fifes and Drums of Old Calaveras performing in historical costume, and members of the Oakland National Guard assisting in the planting of tree saplings. Dates: 1978   Collection number: MS 106   Creator: Larsen, Richard D.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Richard D. Larsen Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The photographs in the collection are exterior shots mostly of the 9th Street and Broadway corner of the Delger Block before, during and after its renovation as part of the Old Oakland redevelopment project.  (OHC COLL 2020-4) 1 box (0.2 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Louise Jorgensen (1896-1995) was born in San Francisco and raised in Oakland, where she attended the public schools, graduating from Oakland Technical High School in 1916. She had a lifelong passion for dance and dance instruction, which she pursued as a staff member the Oakland Recreation Department, as an instructor at the Oakland Y.W.C.A., and in various other capacities. Ms. Jorgensen is most remembered as director and choreographer of the Oakland Christmas Pageant.   (OHC COLL 2014-17) 34 boxes (11.5 linear feet) Collection is arranged in 4 series: Louise Jorgensen (Boxes 1-12) -- Christmas Pageant (Boxes 13-32) -- May Festival (Box 33) -- Susanna Club (Box 34). Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Born in 1905 in Pensacola, Florida to Reuben Hearde and Fannie (Elijah) Matthews, Miriam Matthews (1905-2003) was the Los Angeles Public Library's first professional African American librarian and an important early collector of African American art and history. Matthews earned degrees in librarianship from the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Chicago and served as a branch and regional library manager for the Los Angeles Public Library for 33 years between 1927-1960. She was active in professional and civic organizations and received numerous awards for her contributions to African American history. The Miriam Matthews Photographic Collection consists of 121 photographic prints collected by Miriam Matthews (1905-2003) largely related to African American history in California. Roughly half of the collection is photographs of notable African American politicians taken by photographer Harry A. Adams in Southern California between 1955-1964. The remaining photographs are reproductions of images held by other institutions. Dates: 1955-1964   Collection number: MS 19   Collection Size: 25 linear feet (1 box)   Creator: Matthews, Miriam   Guide to the Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Montjoy Family Photograph Collection consists of 653 photographs of family and friends of the Montjoy family between 1900s-1980s. The bulk of the photographs are family photographs of the Montjoy family taken at residences in Alameda and Oakland, California during the 1920-1930s and include photographs of family outings at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California and at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. The collection also includes photographs of students and campus buildings of Wiley College in Marshall, Texas in the 1920s. Dates: circa 1900s-1980s   Bulk Dates: 1926-1973   Collection number: MS 53   Creator: Montjoy, William R.   Creator: Montjoy family   Collection Size: 1 linear foot (1 box + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Montjoy Family Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

The Archians Mosley Photograph Collection consists of 164 photographs documenting the activities of the 184th Medical Collecting Company while stationed in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany in the early 1950s. The photographs mostly show soldiers while on the U.S. army base in Schwäbisch Hall performing military drills, receiving medical treatment, and socializing, though there are also photographs of Schwäbisch Hall street scenes, St. Michael’s Church, Comburg monastery, and photographs of soldiers aboard ship approaching New York City. Dates: 1951   Collection number: MS 40   Creator: Mosley, Archians.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Archians Mosley Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: circa 1870s-1912   Collection number: MS 41   Creator: Netherland, Mayme C.   Collection Size: 1.25 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversize)   Guide to the Mayme C. Netherland Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Mayme (Mary) C. Netherland (1877-1973) was born to Oscar Thomas Jackson and Mary Ellen Jackson (née Scott) in Oakland, California. Her maternal grandfather, John Scott (1815-1916), was born a slave in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. At the age of 23, he escaped and joined a band of Cherokee Indians. During this time, he helped other slaves escape along the Underground Railroad. After two years of freedom, Scott was caught and sold to Lieutenant Hoskins of the U.S. Army. Scott served alongside Hoskins in the Mexican-American War and was a member of John C. Fremont’s 1844 expedition to California. At the end of the expedition, Scott escaped again and found a rich gold mine in Calaveras County. The Mayme C. Netherland Photograph Collection includes 41 photographs of friends and family of Mayme C. Netherland. Included in the collection are circa 1880s-1900s tin-type portraits and cabinet card portraits of African American women and men, as well as photographs of Netherland’s grandfather, father and husbands. View online items We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Photographs, taken 1940-1942 by M. L. Cohen Co. General Photographers of the construction of two early Oakland Housing Authority projects, Campbell Village and Peralta Villa. Photographs document all stages of construction, including the demolition of the existing housing stock of mainly single family homes.   (OHC COLL 2020-8) 29 folders in 2 boxes, .9 linear feet Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  View Campbell Village photographs from this collection online.  View Peralta Villa photographs from this collection online.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The Oakland chapter of the Junior Chamber of Commerce (also called the Oakland Jaycees) was founded in 1929. Members were men between the ages of 21 and 35. Chapter presidents, elected annually, planned and oversaw meetings, events and programs for the year. Events and programs were evaluated by judges at the California statewide level. Assorted records dealing with events and programs are the core of the collection. Coverage begins in 1935 and ends in 1978; records for 1936-1939 and 1975-1976 are lacking.   The events and programs described in the collection reflect the social and cultural currents of the times, and range widely between recurring events (e.g., the Oakland Miss America pageant and the Oakland Mother of the Year contest) and individual programs on an array of topics including juvenile delinquency, urban renewal and building investment portfolios. A notable 1953 event coordinated with National Guard Day included U.S. army troops in mock battles at Lake Merritt.   (OHC COLL 2021-1)   31 boxes (17 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Dates: 1922-2005   Bulk Dates: 1963-1996   Collection number: MS 169   Creator: Oakland post.   Collection Size: 56 linear feet (116 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Oakland Post Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Oakland Post Photograph Collection consists of 11,000 photographs appearing in the Oakland Post newspaper between 1963-2005. A majority of the photographs are portraits of African American politicians, business and community leaders, entertainers, athletes, and community and social groups from Oakland, California. The collection documents significant social and political events in Oakland, California, including social protest movements during the 1960s-1980s, festivals and sporting events, visits to Oakland, California by notable figures such as Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton, and activities of Oakland politicians. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

This collection houses oversize photographs by three photographers of the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm: Howard Adler, Jan Wilson Kaufman, and David Kerscing. The collection is arranged by photographer in three series. (OHC COLL 2018-5) 2 boxes (2.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

This collection is the work of Donald V. Pearman, an Oakland hills resident who saved his home in the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm with the aid of a garden hose. The experience prompted Pearman to launch an extensive research project on the fire. He conducted interviews of firefighters and homeowners, took photographs, gathered data and assembled reports and studies from many sources.   (OHC COLL 2018-4) 10 boxes (6.25 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

On the Sunday morning of October 20, 1991 strong winds re-ignited embers from a wildfire near the Caldecott Tunnel in the Oakland hills that the Oakland Fire Department had put out the day before. Oakland firefighters were on site that Sunday morning, watching for flare-ups, but they were overwhelmed by the rekindled fire, which quickly became a raging firestorm, destroying over 3,000 dwellings and killing 25 people.   The collection, covering the period Oct. 1991-Dec. 1992., includes reports and findings on the firestorm and its aftermath; audio cassette tapes of Oakland Fire and Police Dept. dispatches during the firestorm, and video cassette (VHS) tapes of local television coverage of the firestorm; aerial photographs and remote sensing data (from a joint project of NASA, the U.C. Berkeley Fire Lab and local fire officials); personal narratives and poems by fire victims, and other memorials (including material on the first anniversary of the firestorm); pet rescue materials; magazines and magazine/newsletter articles; and newspaper articles (in three overlapping compilations).   (OHC COLL 2018-3) 26 boxes (13.8 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The owners of the Parkwoods Apartments were sued after the apartment complex was destroyed in the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley hills firestorm. The cases, Victor May, et al., vs. Paine Webber Properties, and David William Abilgaard, et al., vs. Paine-Webber Properties, were heard in the Alameda County Superior Court. This collection includes depositions (some with accompanying exhibits) background materials about the Parkwoods Apartments (primarily copies of original maps used in the planning and construction of the Parkwoods Apartments, and other assorted materials). (OHC COLL 2018-6) 2 boxes (1.7 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Picture albums, programs, guides, advertisements, tickets, and other material relating to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915. (OHC COLL 2013-2) 10 folders in 2 boxes (.8 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Photojournalist Reginald A. Pearman worked as a staff photographer for the Oakland Tribune, Washington Post, and the Associated Press and over his career was a regular contributor to Time Magazine, National Geographic, and the New York Times. The Reginald Pearman photograph collection includes 614 photographic prints and negatives taken by Pearman when he worked as a photojournalist in the 1980s for the Oakland Tribune newspaper. Dates: 1983-1990   Collection number: MS 48   Creator: Pearman, Reginald.   Creator: Oakland tribune (Oakland, Calif.).   Collection Size: 3.5 linear feet (8 boxes)   Guide to the Reginald Pearman Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: 1869-1992   Bulk Dates: 1917-1992   Collection number: MS 46   Creator: Pittman, Tarea Hall.   Creator: Pittman, William.   Collection Size: 12.25 linear feet (29 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Tarea Hall and William Pittman Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Noted civil rights leader, social worker, and radio personality Tarea Hall Pittman (1903-1991) was born in 1903 in Bakersfield, California to William and Susie Hall. In the 1930s, Pittman became active in civil rights organizations, serving as president of the California State Association of Colored Women’s Clubs from 1936-1938, organizing West Coast branches of the National Negro Congress, and hosting the radio program, Negroes in the News, on KDIA in Oakland, California which she would continue to host for over 45 years through the 1970s. She was an active member of the NAACP serving in various roles as an officer of the Alameda County Chapter of the NAACP, Regional Director of the West Coast Region, and Regional Acting Secretary of the NAACP. Pittman is a central West Coast figure in the Colored Women's Club movement, in addition to her work around significant civil rights issues including organizing protests to force war industries to hire African American workers during World War II, fighting to abolish the segregation of the Oakland Fire Department in 1952, and lobbying for the passage of fair employment practices legislation in California, Arizona, Alaska, and Nevada. The Tarea Hall and William Pittman Papers includes photographs, correspondence, awards, certificates, financial and legal records, newspaper clippings, programs, and ephemera documenting the life and career of William Pittman and Tarea Hall Pittman. View online items We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: 1921-1991   Collection number: MS 28   Creator: Proctor, Eudora C., 1917-1993.   Collection Size: 3.75 linear feet (7 boxes)   Guide to the Eudora C. Proctor Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) Performer and dance instructor Eudora “Dodo” Proctor (1917-1993) was born on September 29, 1917 to Clyde Proctor and Ellen Proctor. The Eudora Proctor Papers includes photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, musical programs, songbooks, and legal and financial records related to Proctor’s career as an entertainer, member of the USO, cosmetologist, and creator of the Eudora National S.L. E. Organization, a non-profit lupus organization. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Ramond L. Raineri (1938-2015), who resided in Oakland and later Martinez, collected old photographs and other historical material about Oakland neighborhoods, Piedmont, Martinez and Contra Costa County. He also collected materials about transportation in the San Francisco Bay Area (trains, streetcars and ferries), the local Italian American community, and a wide range of other topics, including crate labels from California canning and packing companies, early automobiles and midget car racing.   (OHC COLL 2022-1) 6 boxes (3 linear feet)   Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Recollections of Oscar Eugene Mack, typed and bound, with newspaper clippings, photographs, and other ephemera pasted in. The recollections cover most of Mack's life, from his early childhood in Illinois, his voyage to San Francisco on the steamers Costa Rica and Sacramento and across the Isthmus of Panama, ranch life near Maine Prairie, and Westminster, California, his professional life, and major life events, including his marriage, and the birth of his children, to important world and local events. The inner workings of his many jobs are described in detail, including his time teaching, work in the subscription department of A. L. Bancroft & Co., time spent in the auditing and express money order departments of Wells Fargo & Co., work as an auditor with J.C. Nolan & Co., and his long career as a shoe salesman, selling to the trade. Includes a brief history of the Mack family in the United States, a typed transcript of his father's overland journal, and sixteen appendixes discussing a range of subjects, including, his guiding principles, human relations, Christianity, production and consumption, travels, and arithmetic. Of particular note are is his descriptions of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire and the damage to buildings and infrastructure in Oakland, and the flora and fauna surrounding every community in which he lived. (OHC MSS MACK) [iv], 651pages : photographs ; 28cm Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The Rushing Family Photograph Collection consists of 200 photographs and ephemera. The bulk of the photographs document the lives of African Americans in northern Louisiana in the vicinity of the towns of Arcadia, Bienville, Minden, and Simsboro and Oakland, California. Collection is also significant for photographs of African American soldiers during World War I. Dates: circa 1860s – circa 1980s   Bulk Dates: bulk 1910s-1940s   Collection number: MS 216   Collection Size: .5 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Rushing Family Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Ephemera, photographs and periodical articles documenting the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, and the reconstruction effort in the first few years following the disaster. (OHC COLL 2013-22) 5 folders in 2 boxes (.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Booklets, fliers, photographs and other material concerning the construction of and opening ceremonies for the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge. (OHC COLL 2012-7) Approximately 60 pieces in 1 box (.2 linear feet). Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The Sellers Family Papers includes photographs, certificates, graduation and funeral programs, scrapbooks, and newspaper clippings that document the life and activities of members of the Sellers family. The bulk of the papers are family photographs of the Sellers and Johnson families of Oakland, California, Los Angeles, California, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and are mostly of family members between 1890-1930s posing at home, on vacation, or portraits. Dates: circa 1890s-1994   Collection number: MS 71   Creator: Sellers, Shirley Jean.   Collection Size: 2.25 linear feet (2 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Sellers Family Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Shades of North Oakland was a neighborhood photograph collecting project conducted by the African American Museum & Library at Oakland and the Oakland Public Library in July 1999. The project was an outgrowth of a statewide photograph project, Shades of California, that sought to document the daily lives and the historical, political, and cultural contributions of diverse communities in California. Dates: circa 1888-1999   Collection number: MS 99   Collector: African American Museum & Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)   Collection Size: .75 linear feet (2 boxes)   Guide to the Shades of North Oakland Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Royal E. Towns (1899-1990) was born February 10, 1899 in Oakland, California to William and Elizabeth Scott Towns. Towns was raised in West Oakland and attended West Oakland Free Kindergarten and married Lucille Dennis in 1920. He worked for a short time as dining car waiter before joining the Oakland Fire Department as a hoseman at Engine No. 22 in 1927. In 1941, Towns became the first African American to be appointed as the fire department’s chief operator, and eventually was promoted to lieutenant, a position he would hold until his retirement in 1962. The Royal E. Towns Papers consists of photographs, correspondence, publications, financial and legal records, and ephemera that document Towns’ work as a City of Oakland firefighter, photographer, director of public relations for Free and Accepted Masons of California, and as an amateur historian. View online items Dates: 1857-1990   Collection number: MS 26   Creator: Royal E. Towns   Collection Size: 17.8 linear feet (30 boxes + 1 oversized box)   Guide to the Royal E. Towns Papers Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Descriptive text and photographic documents for six historic structures in West Oakland, prepared as part of the I-880 (Cypress Freeway) reconstruction project in the 1990s. Particular emphasis on the Southern Pacific 16th Street station, tower and shops. (OHC COLL 2012-9) 1 volume (129 pages, 28 cm) and 159 photographs in 1 box (.4 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

Photographs of members of the White and Rudisill families and their friends, mostly taken in and around Oakland, California between 1920 and 1930. Individuals noted in the photographs include: Margaret White Rudisill, Gerald White, Samuel Tennyson White, Cora White (née Simpson), Darl C. "Dick" Rudisill, Celeste Rucker (née Simpson), Mabel Hogan, Earl Madden, Ida McLain, Viginia Wagy (née Simpson), Harriet Simpson, Clara Simpson, Helen Bristow, and Burdette Spencer. Most of the images were taken at the White family home, 5724 Mendocino Avenue, in Oakland's Rockridge District, while other photographs depict Oakland Technical High School, the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco Bay, Stanislaus River area, and Yosemite National Park. (OHC MSS WHITE) 3 folders (.1 linear feet) Go here for a more detailed list of this collection's contents.  Available at Oakland History Center, Main Library.  

The Elvira Wiggan Photograph Collection includes 18 photographs of friends and family of Elvira Davis Wiggan. Included in the collection is a 1860s tin-type portrait of an African American woman, several photographs of Elvira Wiggan’s uncle, Samuel Davis, and photographs of Elvira Wiggan’s father, John Davis, dressed in his Pullman porter uniform. Dates: circa 1860s-1941   Collection number: MS 18   Creator: Wiggan, Elvira Davis.   Collection Size: .2 linear feet (18 photographs)   Guide to the Elvira Davis Wiggan Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.

Dates: circa 1917-1985   Collection number: MS 125   Creator: Woods, Earline.   Collection Size: .25 linear feet (1 box)   Guide to the Earline Woods Photograph Collection Available at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland (AAMLO) The Earline Woods photograph collection consists of 58 photographs of African American churches, families, and civic organizations in Sacramento, California. The collection is organized into four subseries: family photographs, Sacramento churches, Women's Civic Improvement Club of Sacramento, and Assorted. The family photographs subseries consists of portraits of relatives of Earline Woods from the Smith and Grey families of Sacramento, California. Church photographs include photographs of the congregations and choirs at St. Andrews A.M.E., Kyle A.M.E., and Shiloh Baptist churches in Sacramento, California. The collection also includes five photographs of members attending events of the Women's Civic Improvement Club of Sacramento. We encourage researchers to contact AAMLO before visiting so that we can be prepared to assist you. Please call 510-637-2000 or email aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org to arrange an appointment or inquire about access.