Big Alma: San Francisco's Alma Spreckels

by Bernice Scharlach

Book Overview

Born with an unshakeable belief that she was destined for greatness, Alma de Bretteville Spreckels (1881-1968) rose from poverty to become one of San Francisco's most powerful women. Alma's humble... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0942087119
• ISBN13: 9780942087116
• Release Date: January 1990
• Publisher: Scottwall Associates
• Length: 334 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

An Iconic Patron of the Arts in Early San Francisco

From Front Jacket: "Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, the lady who towers over Union Square atop the monument to Victory, was a figure as colorful as the city she symbolizes. Born in 1881, she grew up at a time when San Francisco was still a bawdy, rollicking town where horses lay unburied in the streets and where grand pianos were in great demand. Alma reflected both the crudeness and the aspirations of the city. From humble beginnings, with no more than a grammar-school education, she used her beauty and her tremendous determination to become San Francisco's queen of culture. Until now, Alma's story has been told as a series of hilarious anecdotes about her unorthodox behavior and her uninhibited remarks. This biography, representing years of research, is based on her voluminous correspondence with Loie Fuller, the dancer who introduced her to Auguste Rodin and French art; with Queen Marie of Romania, her devoted friend; with her second husband, Elmer Awl. The author interviewed many of her friends and family, as well as people who worked with her on her great projects including the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Maryhill Museum, the San Francisco Maritime Museum. San Francisco's history has been vastly enriched by the triumphs and tribulations of this native daughter who traveled back and forth across the bay. And San Francisco's culture has been equally blessed by Alma's determination to bring great art -- mostly notably sculpture -- to the public."

Live large, live vividly, swim nude

Bernice Scharlach may not be quite the writer her subject deserves. But never mind. Nothing, not even Scharlach's sometimes pedestrian prose could flatten Alma deBretteville Spreckles, who was easily -- hands down -- one of the most vivid personalities associated with a State, and a time, that took the concept of "vivid personality" to a whole new level. And give Scharlach her due. She's a thorough, and -- importantly -- a level-headed researcher. God bless her for interviewing some of the people, now very old, who knew Alma personally. God bless her for keeping a detached look at the sometimes highly personalized views of who, and what, Alma really was. It's not hard to understand why Alma could be loved by some and reviled by others. She was an amazing amalgam of vulgarity and class, the likes of which we seldom get to witness. Scharlach accurately portrays the complex woman Alma was, who could never neatly be slotted into some category or other. Item: the De Young girls never missed a chance to cut Alma dead at society functions, and Alma had enormous fun with this. She'd usually respond by saying to her companions, in her loud, raspy voice, "Never mind. They haven't spoken to me since my husband shot their father." Read this book and discover what that was all about!

What a woman!

Alma Spreckles led a life most of us only associate with heroinesin novels - but she was the real deal. Ordinarily, I'm not a huge fan of biographies, but author Bernice Scharlach brings vivid life to her subject and the times she lived in. Outside of the SF bay area, how many people are aware of this great lady and the role she played on an international scale in bringing not only fine art to the masses, but help and comfort to thousands in need over the decades? Alma de Brettville Spreckles was truly one of the great "characters" of the past century, anyone with an interest in history, art, or just a great story will enjoy this book - where's the movie?