Mary Crane collection of Great Pyrenees photographs

Collection

Identifier: AKV-1-15

Staff Only

Content Description

4 photo albums/scrapbooks; contains some loose items

Dates

1933-1981

Creator

Crane, Mary W. (Person)

Access Restrictions

This material is open to research without restrictions.

Publishing and Use Restrictions

Many of the materials may still be under copyright and require permission of the AKC and/or the creator before publishing. Please consult the Archivist.

Biographical note

Mary Crane and her husband, Francis (heir to the Crane & Co. paper fortune), first imported Great Pyrenees from Europe in 1931 as the foundation of their Basquerie Kennels in Massachusetts. A few years later, with World War II looming, the Cranes used their considerable wealth to import many of the finest European Pyrs before war ravaged the continent, thus helping to save the breed from extinction. The Cranes were pivotal in founding the Great Pyrenees Club of America and gaining AKC recognition for the breed. Today, Pyr fanciers acknowledge Mrs. Crane as the “Mother of the Great Pyrenees in America.”

Physical Description

1.5 Linear Feet (in 2 flat boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Provenance

Photo albums were located in the former AKC Museum of the Dog site in St. Louis and transferred to the AKC Library & Archives in November 2018. Donation history unknown.

Processing Information

Photographs were removed from their original albums as a preservation precaution. Individual photographs have been numbered in the order in which they originally appeared. Only the personalized album has been maintained.