Art Collection of Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, May 30-October 30, 1926

From May through October 1926, the Art Collection of Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, cofounder of the Legion of Honor, was exhibited museum. In fact, much of her collection made up some of the museum’s original collections, as it was under her vision the museum was built and established. Many works from this collection remain in the permanent collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Born as Alma Charlotte Corday le Normand de Bretteville on March 24, 1881 in the Outer Sunset district of San Francisco, California, Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, known as "Big Alma," was a philanthropist, socialite, mother, art enthusiast, and major influence in San Francisco and around the world. In 1924, she co founded the Legion of Honor along with her husband, sugar magnate Adolph B. Spreckels.

Notably, Alma served as the model for the statue top of the Dewey Monument that was dedicated in 1903 and still stands today in San Francisco’s Union Square. This caught the eye of Adolph B. Spreckels whose father Claus Spreckels founded the Spreckels Sugar Company in 1881. Spreckels was one of the wealthiest and most eligible bachelors in San Francisco and married Alma in 1908. Together they had three children, Alma Emma, Adolph Bernard Jr., and Dorothy Constance. Alma died on August 7, 1968 at age 87.

Source: Scharlach, Bernice, Ann Heath Karlstrom, and Martin Chapman. Big Alma: San Francisco's Alma Spreckels. San Francisco, California: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2015.