Huntington Frontiers

Huntington Frontiers connects readers with the rich intellectual life of The Huntington, capturing the work of researchers, educators, curators, and others across a range of disciplines. It is produced by The Huntington’s Office of Communications and Marketing.

Historical Markers

Thu., Oct. 17, 2019 | Usha Lee McFarling
Author Lynell George reflects on assembling the Huntington timelineAs part of the preparation for The Huntington’s Centennial year, Los Angeles–based journalist and essayist Lynell George spent months delving into the history of the institution

The Ghostly Return of Hamlet

Wed., Oct. 16, 2019 | Zachary Lesser
The Huntington's copy of the first edition of the play upended the play's historyIn 1914, Henry E. Huntington acquired from the Duke of Devonshire a collection of English drama that included one of two surviving copies of the first edition of Hamlet

A Founder and a Year

Tue., Oct. 15, 2019 | James Glisson and Jennifer A. Watts
Henry and Arabella Huntington looked to the future by safeguarding the pastAlfonso C. Gomez, Henry E. Huntington’s longtime valet, sat for an interview in 1959, more than three decades after his employer’s death.

The Value of Originality

Sun., Oct. 13, 2019 | Jose Luis Lazarte
A young conservator carefully restores a John Singer Sargent oil sketchFor several weeks in early 2019, three members of a younger generation of conservators worked under The Huntington's senior paintings conservator

Rescuing a Hive of Bees

Sat., Oct. 12, 2019 | Usha Lee McFarling
Beekeeper Kevin Heydman's relocation process is one for the booksBees are no strangers to The Huntington. There are numerous hives in trees on the property that cause few problems

The Influential Vision of Carleton Watkins

Sat., June 22, 2019 | Susan Green
His indelible photographs captured and promoted the American WestIn his new book, art writer Tyler Green argues that Carleton Watkins (1829–1916)—widely considered the greatest American photographer of the 19th century—was also one of the most influential artists of his era.

Mapping a City on the Move

Thu., June 20, 2019 | Lily Allen
Pioneer cartographer Laura L. Whitlock captured a megalopolis in the makingIn August 1919, Henry and Arabella Huntington drafted documents converting their San Marino ranch into a "library, art gallery, museum, and park."

Painting the Wind

Wed., June 19, 2019 | Christina Nielsen
How Celia Paul's art resonates with that of the Brontë sistersBeautifully installed on the second floor of the Huntington Art Gallery, the "Celia Paul" exhibition invokes works by some of the 19th-century painters in The Huntington's permanent collection

What’s Old Is New Again

Sat., June 15, 2019 | Usha Lee McFarling
A Huntington researcher's surprising findings about the evolution of Dioon cycadsThe cycad is often regarded as a living fossil—a favorite food of dinosaurs that hasn’t changed much in hundreds of millions of years...

Seeking Happiness on Both Sides of the Border

Fri., Dec. 28, 2018 | Lynell George
The distance between Mexico and the U.S. can't always be measured in milesFor generations, Mexican migrants hoping to expand their possibilities have had to bridge the emotional gap between home and the unknown...

Who’s Behind the Curtain?

Fri., Dec. 28, 2018 | Lynne Heffley
Kathleen Quinn's elegant drapes accent the renovation of a grand staircaseIn advance of The Huntington’s Centennial celebration, which gets under way in the fall of 2019, Catherine Hess, chief curator of European art, decided that it was time to reimagine the décor...

In the Back of God’s Elbow

Fri., Dec. 28, 2018 | Olga Tsapina
A collection of correspondence yields insight into the Seven Years' WarOn November 13, 1756, James Grahame hastily scribbled a letter at his London residence. The note, addressed to William Mercer in Perth, Scotland, confirmed that Grahame’s friend and William’s brother, Colonel James F. Mercer, was dead.