Charles Francis Saunders and Mira Culin Saunders Collection of Photographs and Negatives

The Charles Francis and Mira Culin Saunders Collection of Photographs and Negatives consists of 5826 black and white photographs, 68 glass plate negatives, 3832 film negatives, 10 photograph albums, 261 lantern slides, and related ephemera, ca. 1871-1965 (bulk 1910s-1920s), collected and created by Charles Francis Saunders, Elisabeth Hallowell Saunders, and Mira Culin Saunders. The collection provides a comprehensive overview of Charles Saunders' activities as a naturalist and travel writer.

The collection is broadly divided into four parts: photographs created and collected by Charles and Elisabeth Saunders; photographs created and collected by Mira Saunders; photograph albums assembled by Charles Saunders; and lantern slides. All four parts contain similar and overlapping subject matter.

The first part of the collection includes numerous views of Pasadena and Altadena; portraits of Charles Saunders, Mira Saunders, and family and friends; the Saunders home, Ah-Tshi-Quah-Nah, at 580 North Lake Avenue in Pasadena (front and back exterior views, garden views, and interiors); miscellaneous Pasadena residences; vineyards and orchards in and around Pasadena; the San Gabriel Mountains, including Mount Wilson and the Observatory; the Santa Monica Mountains and Los Angeles County (including Topanga Canyon, Malibu Creek, Devil's Punchbowl, and Llano del Rio); Monrovia, San Gabriel, and Sierra Madre in the San Gabriel Valley; Los Angeles city and county (including the Plaza, Olvera Street, the La Brea Tar Pits, Santa Monica, Venice, San Pedro, and Santa Catalina Island); landscape views in numerous California counties (including Inyo, Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Monterey, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Tulare, Fresno, and Ventura); Yosemite National Park; views taken on excursions (including from Santa Barbara to San Franciso, Portland to Pasadena, to Cuyama, to Ballarat, and Ojai to Ensenada); California Missions; camping and picnic scenes (with emphasis on the Mojave Desert); flora; Native Americans and Native American sites in Arizona and New Mexico; New Orleans; Mexico; Central America (including El Salvador, Panama, and Nicaragua); and Canada.

The second part of the collection, photographs created and collected by Mira Saunders, includes many views of civic buildings in Pasadena (including City Hall and the Public Library, with an emphasis on the trees and shrubs surrounding these buildings); Pasadena parks (including Carmelita Gardens); Pasadena gardens and homes; the Saunders home and garden; California Missions; botanic gardens (including many views of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden); and flora.

The 10 photograph albums were created by Charles Saunders around 1900. Some of the images included in these albums can be found elsewhere in the collection; some of the photographs were taken by Elisabeth Saunders. The subjects of the albums include Southern California mountains and deserts; the Navajo and Zuni Indians; Santa Catalina Island; Pasadena; and Yosemite.

The lantern slides depict the same general subjects as found elsewhere in the collection. Approximately half duplicate images found in the collection; the remainder are unique. The majority are hand-colored.

Also included in the collection are ephemeral materials. These include a bookplate designed by Charlotte Blazer, used for the Saunders botanic library donated to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden; various notes by Mira Saunders; and cards and postcards.

Photographers represented in the collection include A.E. Arnold; Max Munn Autrey; Guy Barry, Swastika Studio; Ernest H. Brooks; Lindley Eddy; Frasher's; Gilbert and Bacon, Philadelphia; F. Gutenkunst, Philadelphia; I.O. Haskin, Oregon; Lamson; Marriott C. Morris; Notel, Pasadena; Harold A. Parker, Pasadena; H.C. Phillips, Philadelphia; Wright M. Pierce; L.S. Slevin, Carmel; Ward Wicart Studios, Santa Barbara; F.A. Wenderoth and Co., Philadelphia; and S.H. Willard.

Many photographs have notations by Charles Saunders on the verso.