Henry E. Huntington Papers and Related Collections

Before researching the Huntington papers and related collections, consult the various secondary sources on the Huntington family's lives and The Huntington. The Additional Resources page in this LibGuide contains navigation to various media related to the Huntingtons and the San Marino estate.

Formulate your research questions carefully and precisely, and identify particular themes, persons, and types of materials relevant to your research. Contact the library with any questions. The collection uses Library of Congress Name Authority Headings for all personal and corporate names where applicable.

Tips for researching in the Huntington Papers and Related Collections

1. Focus your research through considerations of location, timeframe, or persons. The collection is extensive, and relevant materials are likely to be located throughout the Huntington Papers and related collections. 
2. Read the finding aid's series and subseries descriptions. These contain an overview of the types of materials found in the collection and terminology used in their identification.
3. Keyword search the finding aid for each given collection. For individual folders, references to enclosures, integrated materials, or cataloging notes are included wherever possible. Keyword searches can help locate materials across the collection, regardless of the series or folder in which they are found.
4. Advance, Author, and Subject search on the Huntington Library Catalog.
   1. In the "Location" field of the advance search, select "Archives and Manuscripts" to refine the search to archival materials related to the Huntingtons.
   2. On the left menu bar, select "Author" to search for materials where a person shows up as a main heading, main/alternate author, or addressee of a material. Search using the format "Last name, First name," according to the name verified by the Library of Congress Name Authority Headings.
   3. On the left menu bar, select "Subject" to search for materials where a person shows up as a subject of a material, but does not necessarily have a direct connection to the material themselves. 
5. Review the Archivist's Notes. These notes contain useful details about the current state of archival processing in the Huntington papers.

Please see our Using the Library page to learn how to register as a reader, complete an orientation, and request to see materials in Special Collections reading room or Virtual Reading Room for remote researchers. Still have questions about becoming a reader or accessing material? Contact the library. 

Huntington Library, General Correspondence Collection, 1878-1985 (bulk 1900-1979).
Over three hundred folders of correspondence that are arranged alphabetically by correspondent in fifty-eight boxes. The correspondence is mainly related to the library collection or to the library as an institution.
Call number: HIA 31.1

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens staff oral history collection, 2019-2022.
Interviews about the work and lives of non-managerial staff employed in Facilities and the Botanical Division of The Huntington.
Call number: HIAoralhist

Huntington Land and Improvement Company Collection of Photographs and Negatives, 1920s-1930s.
127 photographs and 105 negatives, ca. 1920s-1930s and undated, created by and/or for the Huntington Land and Improvement Company.
Call number: photCL 394

Collection of Howard Edwards Huntington family photographs, approximately 1870s - 1940s.
A collection of 80 photographs centered around the Howard Edwards Huntington family, including portraits of his mother, Mary Alice Prentice Huntington, her siblings, and her parents, Edwin D. Prentice and Clarissa "Clara" Stoddard.
Call number: photCL 615

Collection of Henry E. Huntington Family, Residence and Estate photographs, approximately 1890-approximately 1930.
Three signed letters by Henry E. Huntington, to lawyer Eugene E. Prussing, and seven Pacific Electric Railway vouchers. 
Call number: photCL 285

Henry E. Huntington letters and Pacific Electric Railway vouchers, 1904-1925
Photographs, contained in 8 boxes, of Henry E. Huntington (1850-1927) and his family in New York and California, as well as early photographs of the Huntington residence and estate in San Marino, California, and the private railroad cars of the Huntington family. 
Call number: mssHuntpac

Duveen Brothers records, 1876-1981 (bulk 1909-1964).
Files and records of Henry Huntington's involvement with the Duveen Brothers, who were notable art dealers and instrumental in the purchase of "The Blue Boy" for the Huntington.  
Call number: Getty 960015