William Amos Haines

William Amos Haines photographed the Mission chain from 1905 to 1920 using a unique photographic technique utilizing a "Cirkut Panorama" camera which gives the viewer up to 180 degrees or more of peripheral sight. Like the all encompassing religious domination of 18th century Spain, which took in all around it, we see a vista of the Missions as the Padres may have intended. Added to this phenomenon is a presentation of the California Missions before the encroachments of the modern city.


Will Connell

UCR/CMP cares for approximately 15,000 Will Connell negatives and prints. Connell began his professional career in the late 1920's in California. Publications employing Connell include: Allyear Club, Touring Topics (later Westways), Better Homes & Gardens, Colliers, Weekly Cosmopolitan, Country Gentlemen, Life, Successful Farming, Sunset, Time, U.S. Camera, Woman's Day, Woman's Home Companion, and Vogue. He belonged to a circle which Kevin Starr proclaimed as the "urban bohemian intelligentsia." Photographing virtually every industry in California between the dates of 1926 and 1952, Will Connell captured California during a time of growth and prosperity. Will ConnellŐs career was that of artist, teacher, technician and entrepreneur. Connell photographed during a time when motor tourism was emerging as a major California industry.

His California Missions, as pictured, are excellent examples of commercial art of the highest caliber. They include mission interiors, exterior detail, textures, dramatic lighting, and thoughtful composition. The images are significant records of California history and they document Mission Style architectural. However, Connell photographs go beyond simple site studies. They serve researchers with views which can easily be looked upon as fine art.


Keystone Mast

The Keystone-Mast Collection consists of approximately 350,000 glass-plate stereoscopic negatives and stereographs taken from 1890 through 1935. This archive is the largest complete collection of stereographic negatives in existence. UCR/California Museum of Photography has been managing and conserving the collection since 1977. This collection showcases worldwide places, events, prominent persons, industries, architecture, inventions, leisure activity, and much more, circa 1870 to 1950.

The Keystone-Mast stereographs of California Missions were captured during the first and second decade of the Twentieth Century. Many of the views show the missions before the start of reconstruction. Three dimensional viewing is possible with stereographs. When viewed in 3-D, the early mission images jump with spacial texture and revealing detail.


George Hoxie

The museum has a collection of 456 negatives from George Hoxie. A vast majority of the negatives cover California subject matter, but other states, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico, are represented as well. The negatives were all shot in 1945 and depict a number of different subjects.


Harry Pidgeon

The Harry Pidgeon Collection consists of approximately 1557 5x7 glass plate negatives. The negatives were donated to the University in 1986. The collection captures the adventures of Pidgeon on his two sailing adventures around the world as well as various wagon trips across North America. Pidgeon photographed California on two separate occasions between 1889 and 1936. Of the 1557 negatives, approximately 326 are of California. The first boat Pidgeon sailed around the world, the "Islander," was built in San Pedro on Goat Island. In between Pidgeon's two excursions around the globe he returned to California and photographed the burgeoning lumber industry of the Sierras. Pidgeon primarily captured the regions of Madera and Mariposa Counties including Yosemite National Park and the Redwoods. The particularly striking images of life in a lumber camp offer a glimpse into this male dominated industry at the turn of the 20th century.


Adam Clark Vroman

Vroman began taking photographs in 1892. In 1895 he started work on a complete series of the California missions.



Harold A. Parker

Missions, Studio of Harold A. Parker, a photo album of fourteen 8x6 inch Albumen prints, circa 1910.