Celebrating Jack London
Posted on January 12, 2023 | No Comments
Jack London
January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916
ARNOLD GENTHE
Jack London. c. 1900
10″ x 8″ Gelatin silver print
John Griffith Chaney, commonly known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist, social activist, and longtime resident of the San Francisco Bay Area.
He is best known as the author of The Call of the Wild, first published serially by the Saturday Evening Post, June 20–July 18, 1903. He sold the rights to publish for $750. Today, that would have been roughly $25,000. Soon after, London sold complete rights to The Call of the Wild to Macmillan. They printed a first edition of 10,000 copies, selling at a price of $1.50, equivalent to a contemporary $50. They sold out immediately. The book has never been out of print.
Late in his life, London purchased a 1,000-acre ranch in Glen Ellen, on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain, which he dubbed Beauty Ranch. He invested in the construction of a home called Wolf House on the property, built by Italian and Chinese stonemasons in their respective styles. Two weeks before completion, the constructed home was destroyed by fire. The ranch and stone remnants of Wolf House are now a National Historic Landmark, protected within the bounds of Jack London State Historic Park.
Arnold Genthe was best known for his photographs of San Francisco Chinatown, the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, and his portraits of notable celebrities of the era, including his friend, Jack London.
ARNOLD GENTHE
San Francisco Earthquake. 1906, printed 1920s
16″ x 20″ Gelatin silver print
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