#castatelibrary

In honor of Juneteenth, we at the State Library would like to draw your attention to a collection of documents that we particularly value, the Thomas Gilman papers. Thomas Gilman came to California as a slave during the Gold Rush. He worked as a gold miner and was able to buy his freedom in 1852. Gilman settled in Shaw’s Flat, a community in Tuolumne County and was known for his hospitality to passersby, so much so that the expansive book, Historic Spots in California, mentions his house, which has sadly ceased to exist. The State Library has recently digitized and is in the process of transcribing his papers, which include everything from his manumission papers to a receipt for the purchase of some milk. You can see the ongoing progress on our From the Page transcription site at https://fromthepage.com/castatelibrary/thomas-gilman-collection/jpgs-from-the-page?page=1

Book of the Week - Did you enjoy last week’s featured publication, the "1915 Mode?" Then you’ll love "Art Gout Beaute." This fashion magazine is filled with gorgeous drawings of and commentary on the most au courant fashion trends of its day from the heights of the 1920’s flapper era to more conservative early 1930’s trends. The State Library has digitized several issues of this very fun magazine and made them available for free on Internet Archive. If you love vintage fashion or women’s history, they are definitely worth a look.

If you are feeling blue about being stuck at home, get carried away to another place (and time) with the historic publication from our rare stacks "The Pacific Tourist: Adams & Bishop's Illustrated Trans-Continental Guide of Travel, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean!" This periodical out of California ran through the late 19th century, and covered all of the travel trends and hot-spots of the West Coast and beyond. In celebration of the recent 150th birthday of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, check out this article: https://archive.org/…/pacifictourist1876w…/page/266/mode/2up from the first issue in 1876 that declares of the park's early years: "it is destined to become one of the most beautiful of city pleasure grounds in the United States."  If they only knew how right they were! You can see this issue along with the rest of our run of "The Pacific Tourist" digitized on the Internet Archive.  https://archive.org/…/pacifictourist1876wi…/page/n6/mode/2up

The featured Book of the Week is great for anyone wanting to get some perspective on current events through the lens of history; specifically, through our collection of historic California periodicals. Gain some hindsight from the pages of the 1918 issues of The San Francisco Newsletter, when California was also grappling with the first wave of a global pandemic. While circumstances were obviously different at the time, many of the same issues- from mask-wearing opposition and contempt for restrictions, to sweeping economic insecurity. The California History Room is currently closed to patrons while we work out the details of our re-opening, but in the meantime you can access some of our digitized materials (including our issues of The San Francisco Newsletter) on the Internet Archive from home!  https://archive.org/details/sfnewsletter95unse/page/n5/mode/2up

Book of the Week -  The California History Room is home to a wealth of materials in a variety of formats from one of the largest showcases of international art on the west coast in the 20th century- the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco, California. If you don't want to wait until you can visit in person to immerse yourself in this remarkable collection, you can check out the book of the week: "The 1915 Mode as Shown by Paris, Panama Pacific International Exposition; a de Luxe Portfolio of Paris Styles." (Don't worry, it's not all in French!) The gorgeous sketches and beautiful writing will transport you back to the visual splendor of the time-honored tradition of cultural and artistic exchange. This publication, along with many of our other rare historical periodicals, is available in our digital library at the internet archive! https://archive.org/details/1915mode00pana/page/n5/mode/2up

This week's featured 'Book of the Week' comes from our vast collection of historic California Newspapers: "The Pacific Appeal." This San Francisco-based paper was an early African-American publication, started by famous activist Phillip Alexander Bell. Beginning in 1862, The Pacific Appeal was more than just an informational civil-rights periodical; it embraced the eclectic spirit of San Francisco, including anti-slavery poetry, editorials by well-known abolitionists, and a series of pieces by the legendary Emperor Norton. Until you are once again able to peruse these remarkable pages in-person at our California History Room, you can check out the issues from 1862 through 1880 on archive.org! (Courtesy of the San Francisco Public Library) https://archive.org/details/pacificappeal00pand/mode/2up

This week’s haiku is by Susan Antolin, and is included in her book titled: “Artichoke Season.” The American Haiku Archives is a special collection that has been housed in the California State Library, California History Section since 1996 and contains over 2300 items including manuscript materials, books and periodicals.   

This week’s haiku is by a forefather of Haikai poetry from the 15th century, Arakida Moritake (1473-1549) and is included in the anthology titled: “A Little Treasury of Haiku.” The American Haiku Archives is a special collection that has been housed in the California State Library, California History Section since 1996 and contains over 2300 items including manuscript materials, books and periodicals.