Bancroft Library

Did you know you can see a plant that changed the world right here on the UC Berkeley campus? 🌿 📜 The papyrus plant, used to make papyrus in ancient Egypt, can be found at the University of California Botanical Garden! Join us today for a journey into the past with archaeologist, papyrologist, and graduate student researcher at The Bancroft Library’s Center for the Tebtunis Papyri, Leah Packard-Grams. #UCBerkeley #BancroftLibrary

Ever wondered what a processing archivist does? 📚 For the one-hundred-fortieth post of the week, we caught up with Processing Archivist Presley Hubschmitt at The Bancroft Library to learn more about her latest project.  #UCBerkeley #California #Berkeley #BancroftLibrary #ProcessingArchivist — Find out more about The Bancroft Library at the #LinkInBio

The Bancroft Library honors the life and legacy of Carl Anthony. Born on February 8, 1939, Anthony was a trailblazing leader in the environmental justice and civil rights movements in the Bay Area from 1960 to 1999. He graduated from Columbia University in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. From 1971 to 1979, Anthony lived in Berkeley and taught at the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design. During this time, he also began researching the nineteenth-century African American experience. In 1989, Anthony worked alongside Karl Linn and David Brower of Earth Island Institute to found the Urban Habitat Program, a groundbreaking initiative designed to build multicultural leadership and advance environmental justice and social equity.  UHP fostered and supported initiatives for social and ecological justice taken by historically disenfranchised communities: African, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, working and poor people. The Bancroft Library is home to the Urban Habitat Program records, an extensive collection of materials primarily accumulated by Anthony. These include his correspondence, manuscripts, and interviews spanning 1970 to 2001. Image description: 1 Portrait of Carl Anthony and Russel Collins Stiger holding a framed certificate labeled “Assembly Resolution.” They stand side by side, facing the camera, with the certificate clearly visible between them. 2 Carl Anthony stands outdoors with his arms relaxed at his sides. Behind him, trees line a walkway where several people are walking by, creating a casual, everyday scene. 3 A leaflet for the Urban Habitat Program, divided into four sections in purple and white. Each section includes a mix of text boxes and images, presenting information in a structured layout. 📸:  Urban Habitat Program Records, 1970-2000, Carton 4, Photo of Carl Anthony with framed certificate by Russell Collins Stiger, BANC MSS 2002/65, Carton 23, Folder 45 #UCBerkeley #BancroftLibrary

Final Weeks! Come see “Shape of Thought” at the Bancroft Library Gallery before it closes on May 29th, 2026. 📌 The Bancroft Library Gallery ⏰ Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 🗓️ Free and open to the public.  Shape of Thought: The Book as Art showcases contemporary artists’ books from The Bancroft Library’s collection, featuring a wide range of handmade works by local and international artists.  Image description: 1. Interior of the Shape of Thought Gallery. Wooden tables are lined with glass display cases holding exhibition materials. A projector in the background casts an image onto the wall. 2. Close-up of a print showing four skulls of different sizes and shapes. 3. Entrance to the Bancroft Library Gallery. The glass door has a gold frame and displays the text: “Shape of Thought: The Book as Art.” 4. Close-up of exhibition materials. Four books are displayed, each featuring sketches or images related to nature. #UCBerkeley #BancroftLibrary #ShapeofThought

May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, commemorates the bravery and struggles of workers and the labor movement. In recognition of these efforts, The Bancroft Library shares a selection of historic flyers and posters from protests, rallies, and student events held in San Francisco and Berkeley. These images come from The Bancroft Library’s Social Protest Collection, the Sather Gate Handbills collection, and the Office of Public Information, all of which include flyers, leaflets, and posters preserved from student groups who handed these out at or near Sproul Plaza. Image Description: Four posters advertising May Day protests and events. 1. A beige poster with red text reading “May Day Mass Rally and Free Huey Day.” 2. A poster featuring silhouettes of five people with “May Day” and details for an International Workers’ Day event. 3. A poster showing a man raising his fist with the text “Political Prisoners Solidarity Rally,” and “May Day Rally, Dolores Park.” 4. A red poster featuring two people wearing conical hats, with text about May Day festivities.

 📸:  BANC MSS 86/157 c; CU-589; 308h.H24, Box 10

What did UC Berkeley look like in the late 19th century? In 1895, University of California, Berkeley received a stunning two-volume photo album intended to serve as a lasting visual record of campus history. Photographed by O.V. Lange, the albums feature images originally exhibited at the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition in San Francisco, offering a rare glimpse into the university’s early landscape. The campus has changed dramatically since that time, with only one building–South Hall–still extant. 1 Campus looking south  2 Stiles Hall Lecture Room 3 Stiles Hall  4 College of Chemistry 5 Bridge in the shrubbery  6 College of Mechanics 7 College of Mining  Image description: Seven landscape and close-up photographs, all in black and white. The first shows a wide view of campus, with buildings in the distance. The second shows an interior lecture room, with chairs arranged in a circle around a piano and standing in the center. The third shows an entryway to Stiles Hall, with a building in the distance and trees surrounding it on each side. The fourth shows a walkway with trees on one side and a series of buildings belonging to the College of Chemistry. The fifth shows a close-up of a bridge surrounded by trees and bushes. The sixth shows a long view of a brick colonnade, with two men standing at the far end. The seventh shows the College of Chemistry on an elevated grassy area, framed by surrounding trees. 📸: UARC PIC 25 #UCBerkeley #BancroftLibrary

April 18th marks the 120th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. At 5:12 AM, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the San Andreas Fault, resulting in catastrophic damage to the northern coast of California. Following the earthquake, extensive fires broke out across the Bay Area, lasting for several days and destroying 80% of the city. Today it is considered to be the deadliest earthquake in the history of the United States. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Digital Collection includes materials housed in the archives of special collections libraries across California, including The Bancroft Library. The collection consists of approximately 14,000 images and 7,000 pages of text. Pictured in order: - The Academy of Sciences - A crack in the ground. - Armed soldier or National Guardsman walking up Market Street while San Francisco burns. - Arches of a ruined building. - Artillery Officers inspect the ruins.

Seeing double? 👀 Popularized in the 19th century, the stereograph was an optical device used to create an immersive visual experience. The device works by presenting two nearly identical images side by side, which are viewed through a set of lenses to give the illusion of a three-dimensional image. The Alaska to Mexico Stereographs Collection showcases 46 photographic prints of nature scenes dating from 1859–1902. The collection includes work by various photographers, including American Stereoscopic Co. and Underwood & Underwood. The Bancroft Library acquired the collection in 1987 as a gift from Joseph A. Baird. Pictured in Order: Grand Falls, from Point Lookout, 360 feet high. Conglomerate Rocks, California. South Dome, Yosemite, California. Image description: Three stereograph cards, each with two nearly identical black-and-white photos placed side by side. The first shows a close view of large, rough rock formations. The second shows a tall waterfall in the distance, seen from a high lookout point. The third shows a Yosemite landscape with steep rock faces rising above a valley filled with trees. 📸: BANC PIC 1987.011:13--STER, 1987.011:43--STER, 987.011:12--STER

When did vineyards come to California? Spanish missionaries created the first vineyards in 1769, planting “Mission” grapes to produce sacramental wine. Over the next century, vineyards gradually spread along the California coast, and in 1834 the first commercial vineyard was established in Los Angeles. In Northern California, the first wineries opened in the mid-1850s. The industry continued to grow until 1897, when an outbreak of phylloxera devastated many vineyards. This setback was followed by Prohibition, which forced many wineries to close or shift to small-scale production. After Prohibition, vineyards experienced a resurgence across the state. The Bancroft Library contains many images and histories of viticulture in California. These postcards capture colorful scenes from California vineyards in the early 20th century. They are part of the Kransky Collection of Edward H. Mitchell Postcards, with a over 13,000 postcards on a wide variety of subjects dating from 1895 to 1959. The collection was carefully assembled over decades by Walter Robert Kransky, who began gathering the postcards at age eight, and his wife Gail Lynn Kransky. #TheBancroftLibrary

You are invited! Join us for a special pop-up exhibition and lecture on turn-of-the-century photographs featured in Carolin Görgen’s new book, The California Camera Club: Collective Visions in the Making of the American West. Exhibition: 🗓️April 14, 2026, 3:30-5 PM 📍The Bancroft Library Lecture: 🗓️April 14, 2026, 5:30-6:30 PM 📍History of Art, 308A Doe Library Based in San Francisco, the California Camera Club was the largest photographic club in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. Görgen, an associate professor of American studies at Sorbonne Université, will retrace the forgotten history of this group, its members — both women and men — and their crucial contributions to shaping the cultural imagination of California and the American West as a photographic territory. #UCBerkeley #TheBancroftLibrary

What did UC Berkeley look like a century ago? This 1925–1926 edition of the Blue and Gold Yearbook offers a glimpse into the University of California, Berkeley’s past. First published in 1875, Blue and Gold has long documented student life, athletics, and key moments in Cal history. This edition features paintings by California-based artist Elmer G. Schmidt. His colorful artwork features scenes of iconic buildings from across campus. Come by The Bancroft Library to see this historic yearbook (and all the others) in person! 📍The Bancroft Library 📆Monday through Friday from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM #BancroftLibrary #UCBerkeley

Take a look into the diary of one of the surviving Donner Party members. Patrick Breen, an Irish immigrant and member of the Donner Party, kept a detailed diary documenting his experiences in the Sierra Nevada from November 20, 1846, to March 1, 1847. At the time, Breen and his family were traveling west with a group of pioneers, later known famously as the Donner Party. His diary entries detail the hostile weather conditions and conflicts within the party, which continued until their rescue by a relief party led by James F. Reed.   The Patrick Breen Diary was part of the original Hubert Howe Bancroft collection. Also shown are two vials containing remains recovered from the Murphy Cabin, one of the main shelters used by members of the Donner Party during the winter. #BancroftLibrary #UCBerkeley #DonnerParty