Manuscripts

Ferdinand Ellerman album

Description: Black and white photographs of Mount Wilson taken by astronomer and photographer Ferdinand Ellerman (1869-1940) between 1907 and 1920. Images depict snowfall on the mountain, structures and surrounding woods, and views from the mountain.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: approximately 1907-1920
Call number: mssThacher
Creator: Thacher, Michael(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Gift of Michael Thacher, September 2025, October 2025, and November 2025.
Restrictions: Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Michael Thacher collection on Mount Wilson

Manuscripts

Correspondence, photographs, and ephemera related to Mount Wilson and the observatory located there, collected by writer Michael Thacher. Correspondence includes letters from astronomer Harlow Shapley related to potential talks and appearances, book publication, and salary difficulties for scientists; and letters from a variety of astronomers involved with the Mount Wilson Observatory, either as administrators, visiting astronomers, or lecturers. The collection also includes a photograph album of black and white photographs taken by astronomer and photographer Ferdinand Ellerman; press photographs of Edwin Hubble, James Jeans, Albert Michelson, Seth Nicholson, and John Strong; postcards depicting Mount Wilson Observatory, trails, hotel, and views; and brochures and other ephemera.

mssThacher

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D. M. Renton correspondence with Ferdinand Ellerman

Manuscripts

A collection of correspondence and business records dealing with the history of Santa Catalina Island, California. The vast bulk of the collection consists of letters between D. M. Renton and William Wrigley concerning operations of Wrigley enterprises on Santa Catalina Island, including Renton's ongoing management of the multiple enterprises on the island. Renton's letters detail visitation, public services ranging from food to entertainment, development of new facilities from the Casino ballroom to an on-island hospital; the letters also describe construction work to improve access to clean potable water, and the mining operations for lead, silver and zinc, and the ongoing labor to extract them. The letters also describe the Hollywood studios using the island for filming and the use of the island for baseball training and games. The letters also include correspondence with Ferdinand Ellerman, Herbert Hoover, Lawrence Mott, Johnny Noble, Joseph H. Patrick, Hugh Rodman, John Wayne, Ada Elizabeth Wrigley, and Philip Wrigley. The business records include monthly expense and revenue reports for the island, meeting minutes and correspondence for the Santa Catalina Island Company.

mssRenton

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Ferdinand J. Dreer papers

Manuscripts

A collection of 274 items which contains personal and family papers of Ferdinand J. Dreer. Included are: a typescript biography of Dreer (approximately 1895), fifty letters and documents addressed to him (including a few letters from Benson John Lossing), letters addressed to Edwin Greble Dreer, grandson of Ferdinand J. Dreer, papers related to the Wichtermans, the family of his grandparents, miscellaneous tributes in verse written in memory of Dreer family members. Also included are family photographs, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and ephemera. There are a few miscellaneous documents relating to Jonathan Dickinson, first President of Princeton, and genealogies of Dreer, Annin, Miller, and Dickinson families.

mssDreer

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Postcards, photographs, and ephemera

Manuscripts

Six binders of Mount Wilson postcards, historical brochures, and other ephemera such as stickers, admission tickets, and flyers; related to the hotel and resort once located there as well as Mount Wilson Observatory. Photographs are also interspersed throughout the binders, primarily press photographs of the observatory telescopes, and astronomers including Edwin Hubble, James Jeans, Albert Michelson, Seth Nicholson, and John Strong.

mssThacher

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Mount Lowe Railway souvenir album

Visual Materials

A souvenir album of 12 photographs, 3 1/4 x 4 inches each, mounted on paper, dating from approximately 1894 to 1900. The back inside cover is stamped "From Mount Lowe Ry. Photo. Dept., Echo Mountain P. O., Cal." Views show the railway winding up the mountain, a massive searchlight at the top of Echo Mountain, scenic views, and the Echo Mountain House exteriors and interior lobby.

photCL 221

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Views of Mount Lowe in the San Gabriel Mountains

Visual Materials

An album with 26 photographs of Mount Lowe, the observatory and other structures, Echo Mountain, and scenic views of the area in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, California. Views of the observatory include the dark room, the 10-inch telescope, and astronomer Lewis Swift standing in the observatory doorway. Photographs of other structures show Rubio Pavilion, Echo Mountain House, Mount Lowe Railway, and Professor Thaddeus Lowe on the balcony of the "New Hotel". Views around Mount Lowe show several waterfalls, including the Leontine Falls, a number of small canyons, and a view of the San Gabriel Valley and Pasadena. Some of the images have numbers printed on them; item 7 can be positively identified as the work of C.C. Pierce. Visible photographer numbers consist of 180, 559, 605, 623, 637, 641, 651, 695, 721x, 733, 735, 749, 797, 821, 847, 851, 853, 857, 863, 865, 869, and 871.

photCL 146

Ferdinand Ellerman album

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Michael Thacher collection on Mount Wilson

D. M. Renton correspondence with Ferdinand Ellerman

Ferdinand J. Dreer papers

Postcards, photographs, and ephemera

Mount Lowe Railway souvenir album

Views of Mount Lowe in the San Gabriel Mountains