Berkeley Bohemia: Artist and Visionaries of the Early 20th Century Capa dura - 2008

The concept of bohemia, or a place of unconventional lifestyles, flooded the city of Berkeley at the turn of the century. It was a city of scholars, a crossroads of cultures and a magnet for visionaries. This unique combination of ingredients provided fertile ground for individuality, eccentricity and creative expression. Bohemians from Berkeley, with their Grecian architecture and flowing robes, imagined themselves in the Athens of the West. Because freethinking was welcome, Berkeley was a nurturing environment for the likes of Florence Boynton, who introduced natural living; John Muir, who led the ecology movement; and Charles Keeler, who founded the Cosmic Religion.

In Berkeley Bohemia, Herny, Rideout and Wadell provide glimpses into the lives of the artists, writers and philosophers who had a profound influence on what the city has become today. The artistic creations of novelist Jack London, photographers Ansel Adams and Dorothea Lange, architect Bernard Maybeck and writer and artist team Charles and Louise Keeler, to name a few, continue to inspire. Their words are imprinted in the sidewalks of Addison Street, their homes-such as the Hights-are open for tours; and the schools they founded continue to enlighten and educate despite the passing of time. Berkeley Bohemia is both a cultural history and a celebration of the extraordinary.

Ed Herny has served on the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Historical Society since its founding in 1978. He began studying and collecting the works of Charles and Louise Keeler several years earlier. He is president of the San Francisco Bay Area Post Card Club, an ephemerist and an "active student of history."

Shelley Rideout's fascination with history stems from childhood visits to family homes, looking through old photo albums and dressing up in vintage clothing she found in the attic. While working on a BA in Theatre Arts at Sonoma State University, she participated in the founding of the Women's Studies Program and co-taught a student sponsored class on Women in History. In 1993, she was awarded an MA in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University, where her focus was the curatorship of historic costume and textiles. She is an active member of the Costume Society of America and has served as the Western Region president. Upon moving to Berkeley in 2000, she joined the Berkeley Historical Society and has been a board member and a volunteer in the archives.

Katie Wadell first became interested in the Arts and Crafts movement when she visited the Gamble House in Pasadena, California, as a teenager. She earned a master's degree in American history from New York University in 2000, and later worked with the Berkeley Historical Society for five years. With Shelley and Ed, she co-curated the original "Berkeley Bohemians" exhibition in 2004. She now lives in Chicago with her husband, Jesus.

Jacket design: Kathleen Tandy

Jacket photos: Front cover (c) Mary Bucher, Margaret Loverde and Kate Sater; Back cover courtesy of the Library of Congress