Collections in Calisphere
All of the items in Calisphere are organized into collections. Collections bring context to images, documents, videos, and audio recordings. Some collections represent a particular topic or format, some have items created by the same person, and some showcase an institution’s special project or initiative. Use the tabs below to explore the hundreds of collections in Calisphere.
Curious about where these collections come from and how they’re described? Learn more about the collections in Calisphere, including: how primary source records are described; how shared community values and standards guide access to historical materials; how we strive to provide responsible access to digital primary sources--and how you can help!
John C. Gordon Panoramic Collection
John C. Gordon used the panoramic photograph to create a unique and enduring record of life in the Santa Clara Valley with a medium that is both expansive and immersive, giving viewers a rich visualization of regional geography and culture from a time long past. As a commerical photographer, he used the panorama to capture landscapes, cityscapes, agriculture, businesses, community organizations, church groups, and labor organizations. Besides transporting and operating bulky camera equipment, Gordon often scaled considerable heights, typically climbing water towers, commerical buildings, and the foothills of Santa Clara County to obtain compelling panoramic views. After well over 50 …
Institution: San José State University, Special Collections and Archives
525 Items
Lug and Can Label Collection
The Lug and Can Label collection consists of more than 4,800 labels created for containers of fruits, vegetables, and other produce and food goods. These labels record packaging and marketing innovations between circa 1890-1970. Producers and distributors began using paper labels to identify the brand name and packing location of boxes of fresh fruit in Southern California in the 1880s, replacing the earlier methods of identifying shipments of fruit: stencilling, stamping, or burning the brand information on the wooden crates. The completion of the transcontinental railroad and establishing a national transportation network expanded the potential market for California fruit all …
Institution: UC Davis, University Library, Special Collections
3,479 Items
Italian Librettos
Collection of 17th and 18th century Italian Librettos held by The Jean Gray Hargrove Music Library at UC Berkeley
Institution: UC Berkeley, Jean Gray Hargrove Music Library
152 Items
Spring Valley Ranch of J.P. Whitney by Runnels & Stateler, San Francisco, ca. 1889
This collection consists of an album of 28 photographic prints of Joel Parker Whitney's Spring Valley Ranch in Placer County, California. The photographs were taken by the firm of Runnels & Stateler of San Francisco, circa 1889. Included are photographs of the ranch and ranch properties in oak-covered foothills; 2 photographs of the vineyard; 1 photograph of Whitney under the trees; 3 photographs of unidentified children; and many photographs of "The Oaks," Whitney's mansion, including exterior and interior views. Captions are printed below each photograph....
Institution: UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library
29 Items
Paul Blackburn Audio Collection
A collection of sound recordings of poetry performances created by Paul Blackburn (1926-1971), who was a poet, translator, editor, and teacher who made extensive recordings of the avant-garde New York poetry scene between 1960 and 1971. The recordings are digitized from tape reels and audiocassettes found in his papers, and feature words and music performed by Paul Blackburn and various collaborators. In addition to writing his own poetry and translating such writers as Octavio Paz and Julio Cortázar, Blackburn played an important role in the New York poetry community, helping fledgling poets develop and providing emotional support and opportunities to …
Institution: UC San Diego, Special Collections and Archives
212 Items
John Galen Howard Papers
The John Galen Howard papers span the years 1874-1954 (bulk 1888-1931). It contains correspondence, diaries, drafts and manuscripts of poems, transcripts of speeches, articles, and course lectures, relating to Howard's career as an architect, a professor, and a poet. The collection provides a look at Howard's personal and family life, his interests outside of architecture, as well as his architectural work. The collection is organized into five series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, Faculty Papers, Office Records, and Project Records....
Institution: UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library
2 Items
The David Smollar Map Collection
The David Smollar Map Collection, donated to the San Diego Public Library’s Special Collection Center in the spring of 2020, consists of over 400 maps and related materials. The maps date from 1914 to 2018 and primarily cover the city and county of San Diego. This collection is a wonderful addition to the over 1,000 maps owned by the San Diego Public Library.
Institution: San Diego Public Library
43 Items
Robert Marshall Papers, 1908-1939
Consists of correspondence with family, friends, and professional associates, field notebooks, journals, writings, and other material primarily related to Marshall's forestry career with the Office of Indian Affairs and the National Forest Service. Also included are papers and writings related to his field work mapping the Koyukuk area of Alaska, his work with the Wilderness Society, and his love of walking and climbing peaks, especially in the Adirondacks.
Institution: UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library
2 Items
1906 Earthquake and Fire
Images of San Francisco & Marin County damaged by the 1906 Earthquake along the San Andreas Fault. San Francisco photographs are principally by W. J. Street, a professional photographer. Tomales resident Ella Jorgensen took most of the Marin County photographs.
Institution: Marin County Free Library
84 Items