A Wild Flight of the Imagination Curator Walkthrough

Thursday, April 12, 2012, 5:30 p.m. 


A Wild Flight of the Imagination Curator Walkthrough 

Free Event at the California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco

Walk through our exhibition A Wild Flight of the Imagination: the Story of the Golden Gate Bridge with the curator Jessica Hough.  She will give you insight into the show, welcome you into the Library to see other engaging objects from the CHS collection, and invite you to handle Bridge artifacts. RSVP to http://wildflightcurator.eventbrite.com/.

A Wild Flight of the Imagination Family Afternoon

Saturday, April 14, 2012, 2 p.m.

A Wild Flight of the Imagination Family Afternoon

Co-sponsored by Museum of Craft and Folk Art

Free Event at the California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco

Bring the kids and come for a special curator-led tour of the exhibition.  We will learn about the Golden Gate before the Bridge, how a bridge is built, and what materials are used.  Children and adults will be invited to handle iron worker tools and Bridge artifacts. Families will also have the opportunity to work on a Golden Gate inspired craft project together.  RSVP to http://wildflightfamily.eventbrite.com/ or 415.357.1848, ext. 229.

Helen Hunt – Who do you think you are?

Watch the NBC broadcast of Who do you think you are? this evening to see Helen Hunt’s search for her roots. You get extra points if you catch the connection with the California Historical Society’s collection. (Hint: Scholle Brothers)

Images of the Pacific Rim: Australia and California, 1850-1935

Thursday, March 22, 2012, 6:00 p.m.


Images of the Pacific Rim: Australia and California, 1850-1935


Book event with author Erika Esau 


Free Event at the California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco


Join us as Erika Esau discusses her recent book, Images of the Pacific Rim: Australia and California, 1850-1935. Australia and California have shared aesthetic ideas through imported popular imagery for nearly two hundred years. From gold rush photography to Spanish-style houses, Images of the Pacific Rim tells the fascinating story of aesthetic exchange between two ‘cultures on the periphery’. The absorption of images into the everyday life of these ‘new’ Western societies, made possible by the development of mechanical processes of production, constructed distinctive cultural iconographies and helped to create a sense of place based upon a shared ocean and climate. Through photography, graphic art, architecture, and the ubiquitous eucalyptus, Erika Esau’s book reveals the source elements of what became a ‘Pacific Rim’ aesthetic. RSVP to rsvp@calhist.org or 415.357.1848, ext. 229.

Golden Gate Opus Preview Event with composer Rob Kapilow

Friday, March 23, 2012, 12 p.m.

Discussion and special viewing of select collection items

Co-Sponsored by the Marin Symphony

Event is at the California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco

Join us for an afternoon discussion led by composer Rob Kapilow as he discusses his latest work for the Marin Symphony, Golden Gate Opus and talks about the creative process. View select works from the California Historical Society collection that aided in Rob Kapilow’s work as he composed Golden Gate Opus. Composer Rob Kapilow listened to the community’s stories and experiences about the Golden Gate Bridge. Kapilow asked, “What does the Golden Gate Bridge sound like?” He explained that there’s a symphony right there if you only listen to it, referring to the foghorn, the tires on the pavement, the wind and more. He joined forces with local media outlets, schools and non-profits to gather stories and feedback about the Golden Gate Bridge.  

Evening with the Collection: The History of the Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Café

Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 5:30 p.m.


Evening with the Collection: The History of the Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista Café


Co-sponsored by the 9th Annual Crossroads Irish-American Festival


Free Event at the California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco


The California Historical Society will share its Buena Vista Café collection to tell the story of a true Irish American invention, Irish Coffee. The Buena Vista Café collection received by the California Historical Society in 1982 chiefly contains correspondence and clippings, plus a few photographs, documenting the introduction of Irish coffee to San Francisco. Original letters between Jack and Josephine Koeppler, proprietors, the Irish Consul in San Francisco, and various firms and whiskey distributors in Ireland, as well as correspondence from San Francisco Chronicle columnist, Stan Delaplane, begin in February 1954 and continues well into the 1970s with publicity and articles extolling the fame of Buena Vista’s famous Irish coffee. RSVP to rsvp@calhist.org or 415.357.1848, ext. 229.