Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 Public Domain. Release under the CC BY Attribution license--http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/--Credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library; From the California Historical Society Collection at the University of Southern California Send requests to address or e-mail given USC Libraries Special Collections specol@usc.edu
Description
Photograph of a drawing by Edward Vischer depicting Doña Marcelina's celebrated grape vine at the Montecito, Santa Barbara, ca.1865-1871. The vine is pictured at center, sprouting from the ground like a tree and spreading a canopy above the people who sit and stand by it, supported by a latticework of sticks. A woman sits resting on a cane to its left, a second woman behind her. Goats are visible to the right, with a woman carrying a basket on her head trailing a child behind her in the distance. To the extreme left, an adobe house is visible behind a small brick furnace, next to which several people stand and sit. Text under the image reads: "Carefully sketched in Santa Barbara May 1, 1868. But 1871 drawn from collection the original having been lost.", as well as "Under Doña Marcilina's Celebrated Grape-Vine, at Montecito, Santa Barbara.". Typed text is also pictured below the drawing, and reads: "The owner of this vine, D. Marcelina Felix de Dominguez, the old lady who is here represented in the foreground, surrounded by her family, died in Santa Barbara, the 9th of May, 1865 (a week after our original sketch was taken), at the age of nearly 105 years. (Widow of Jose Maria Dominguez, a soldier in the Spanish service, who, having attained also a hundred years, died in 1845.) This grape vine, which is the pride and marvel of the neighborhood, traces its origin to a slip brought by Da. Marcelina from the vineyard of the Mission of San Antonio and though supposedly withered from the journey, and moreover having to wait for permission to plant it, took root, budded, and ever since prospered proving itself the main support, a Fortanatus' purse, for the large Dominguez family (there being 14 children and, through them, upwards of 100 descendants). Between the years 1850 and 1860 the vine had been trained over an area of 80 feet in circumference the stem measuring then 12 inches in diameter, and attaining a height of 15 feet from the ground. Some years it has borne over 6,000 bunches (upwards of 8,000 pounds of ripe and sound grapes). To guard against injury from the frequently recurring drouths of that region, the waters of the neighboring warm springs were conducted across the root, which seems to have contributed to its luxuriance, fruitfulness and vigor. [From Dr. Taylor's Annals of California, Bulletin, May, 1865.]"
Type
image
Format
5 photograph : transparency, photoprints, b&w 21 x 26 cm., 17 x 22 cm. photographic prints transparencies photographs art
Agriculture--Crops--Grapes Santa Barbara County--General--Illustrations Mission Santa Barbara Dominguez, Da. Marcelina Felix de Dominguez, Jose Maria Grapes Viticulture Exhibitions Historic sites Advertising Grapes in art Vineyards Agricultural sites
Time Period
circa 1865/1871
Place
California Montecito Santa Barbara USA
Source
1-144-91; 1-189- [Microfiche number] CHS-3512; CHS-7237 [Call number] California Historical Society [Contributing entity] USC-1-1-1-10041; 3512; 7237 [Accession number]
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
