San Francisco SPCA Archives

These days, mention of the San Francisco SPCA usually brings to mind images of adorable dogs and cats. After all, that's who sits in the Macy's holiday windows. But other animals figure prominently in the organization's history: the sight of a mistreated hog is what prompted James S. Hutchinson to found the San Francisco SPCA in 1868.

Earlier this month, the San Francisco SPCA donated its archives to the San Francisco History Center, and while there is plenty of material about cats and dogs, there's plenty more about other animals, especially horses. Here's a page from a record book of prosecutions for mistreatment of animals, dated 1879:


SF SPCA Record book entries, 1879. Image courtesy of San Francisco History Center

This record book, along with over 30 cubic feet of reports, publications, photographs, ledgers, and other records, documents a unique aspect of our city's history: the relations between its human and animal residents. The San Francisco History Center is thrilled to be the new home of this collection. Thank you, San Francisco SPCA!

You can view more images of the San Francisco SPCA archives on the library's facebook page.

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