Title: Portraits of U.S Supreme Court Justices
Inclusive Date: 1968-1975
Access Restriction: Some Restrictions-Fragile.
Copyright Restriction: Property rights reside with Robert Crown Law Library Special Collection. Copyrights are retained by the creator of the records or their heirs.
Series Description:
This series consist of reproduction of etchings and photographs depicting portraits of judges. These portraits originally hang in the largest lecture hall when the Stanford Law School was in Building 160, the outer quadrangle. An example of how portraits was hung is visible in the movie entitled Stanford Lawyer, which was made in 1972. When Stanford Law School move facilities, the portraits were then given to Robert Crown Law Library. An Item level index is available upon request.
This collection of portraits of U.S. Supreme Court Justices was the result of an effort on the part of Dean Bayless Manning to enrich the life of the School. In a letter on February 1, 1966, Dean Manning wrote to Bryant Baker of Harris & Ewing to summarize his reasons and to outline his understanding with Harris & Ewingto acquire the collection. Manning stated, “It would make a substantial contribution to the educational life of the School if, over time there could be assembled at the School a collection of portraits of the men who contributed most to the life of the School and of the men who contributed most to the life of the law." His goal was to subtlety and visually supplement the "familiarity and identification with the great figures of law" provided by classroom teaching. Harris & Ewing donated a set of portraits based on a set that they had assembled for the Marshal’s office of the U.S. Supreme Court. The portraits are photographs and photographic reproductions of paintings, etchings, etc. The School then raised money to have the set framed in black and hung them in “the most highly visible part of the School – the front of the largest classroom” in the Law School of 1968. The set has been supplemented with additional portraits some framed in gold and some never framed. The framed portraits were removed from display in the School when, the story goes, students complained about being watched over by pictures of “old, dead, white men.”
Extent: 1.42 Linear Feet
Location: GS-SU-12-01-04
Identifier Number: LAW-13105
