Visual Materials

Loose Photographs

Description: These loose photographs include cyanotypes, cabinet cards, and stereographs. Images are of the Crank residence, the Crank family, horses, and workers harvesting grapes and citrus fruit from the vineyard and orchards on the property. One photograph shows a man painting in the "plein air" manner that was popular at the time (Item 60).
Type: Visual Materials(Opens in new tab)
Date: approximately 1880-approximately 1900
Call number: photCL 6
Creator: James F. Crank (Family)(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Gift of Mildred Crank, 1935-1938.
Associated people: McMurtrey, C.,; Ripley, C. B.,; Varela, A. C.
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Photographs

Visual Materials

This collection consists of one photograph album with 48 photographs and 35 loose photographs (as well as some duplicates), with images depicting the Fair Oaks Ranch in Altadena, California, during the late 19th century. The ranch, owned by businessman and rancher James F. Crank, encompassed a vineyard, winery, and citrus orchards, along with a lavish residence and grounds. Subjects include interior and exterior views of the residence, landscaped grounds, trees, and plant life; members of the Crank family; ranch workers, including Chinese laborers, working in the orchards and vineyard, harvesting and packing fruit, drying apricots, and loading fruit onto horse-drawn carts; workers' quarters; the operations of the winery and distillery; and also a handful of sweeping views of the San Gabriel Mountains and the Altadena and Pasadena areas taken from vantage points on the property. The photographer of the album is unknown; some of the cabinet cards and stereographs have imprints from area photographers: C. McMurtrey (Item 80), C.B. Ripley (Items 73-74), and A.C. Varela (Items 76-78). Photographs in the album are cyanotype prints; the loose photographs include cyanotypes, cabinet cards, and stereographs.

photCL 6

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