Before we
moved on we had to pay a visit to the Huntington Library. The Woman had been
there once in the past, but luckily either didn’t wander it extensively or
maybe just didn’t have a clear recollection. So while she recalled a few
images, most of the buildings and massive botanical gardens were pretty much
new to us both!
Henry E
Huntington was the nephew of Collis P Huntington, one of the four founders of
the Southern Pacific Railroad and one of the wealthiest men in Southern
California in the late 1800’s. Henry held many executive positions with the Southern
Pacific RR alongside his uncle where he developed keen business acumen. In a
move to establish his own legacy he purchased the Los Angeles Railway, a city
oriented narrow gauge system. From that he created the sprawling Pacific
Electric Railway, a standard gauge system that provided passenger friendly
streetcars that ran 24/7. The primary vision of the PE was to connect downtown
LA with the emerging suburbs – of course Henry owned substantial undeveloped
land in the LA suburbs – and therefore make residential development in those
suburbs highly attractive. Not only was the PE highly profitable, but it drove
the value of Henry’s undeveloped holdings in the suburbs through the roof,
making him wealth that eventually well surpassed that of uncle Collis.
The
library is housed in the mansion that Henry built and lived in near downtown
Pasadena along with his wife, Arabella Huntington. Arabella didn’t have to change
her last name when they wed – Arabella was the widow of Collis Huntington, and
news of the marriage in 1913 rocked California society circles. Early on Henry
had a commitment to philanthropy and established a foundation whereby his
estate and his collections would become public domain once both he and Arabella
had moved on.
The turn
of the century era mansion holds the majority of the art collection. Likely the
most famous piece of art in the collection is Gainsborough’s Blue Boy, and
image that we have all become familiar with in our lives. However, the
collections are extensive, including 14th century Italian
masterpieces, pieces by Edward Hopper and Andy Warhol and even an iconic
portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. The sculpture in the mansion
and 120 acres of manicured gardens are impressive as well.
But the
collection of printed material is unbelievable. Housed in a massive library
building, commissioned by Edward Huntington just to hold his collection, is one
of only 11 original copies of the Gutenberg Bible. 48 such originals were printed
by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz Germany in 1450, but only 11 complete copies
remain. While the bible is maintained in a climate controlled case, it is open
on display for all to view.
Another
amazing find is the original 1410 manuscript of the Canterbury Tales by
Chaucer. Predating the Gutenberg printing press, the manuscript is believed to
have been scribed by a single workman, with the illustrations perhaps added by
as many as 3. Other unbelievable artifacts include personal manuscripts of
Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and Lincoln. The first 7 drafts of Henry David
Thoreau’s Walden are here, as well as both manuscripts and first edition
printings of works by the likes of Jack London and Mark Twain. You can’t walk
more than 3 feet in this library without being stunned by the next piece you
stumble upon.
We
strolled extensive gardens and enjoyed it thoroughly. The wealth that had to
have been amassed to create the mansion, the campus and the extensive and matriculate
gardens, not to mention the thousands of original pieces of sculpture and
painted and written art is really hard to comprehend. I knew that the name
Huntington had some meaning in southern California due to names on towns, parks
and beaches, but I never knew anything about how it came about. Now I do!
Talk to
you soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment