LGBTQ+ Studies at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library

William Andrews Clark, Jr. (1877–1934) met his romantic partner Harrison Post (ca. 1896–1946) after the death of his second wife Alice McManus Clark (1884–1918). Clark, Jr. and Post met in San Francisco while the latter was working at Marsh & Company, an art and jewelry company. The two were quickly enamored of each other, and Post moved to Los Angeles to be with Clark, Jr. and work as his library assistant. Post played a significant role in the interior design of the Clark Library (built between 1924 and 1926), and his face is featured across Allyn Cox’s (1896–1982) vestibule mural. In addition, Post gifted Clark with Harper Pennington’s (1854–1920) life-size portrait of Oscar Wilde from ca. 1884. Wilde originally gifted the oil painting to his wife Constance Lloyd (1858–1898) upon their marriage in 1884, and Post gifted it to Clark, Jr. around 1922. 

To learn more about Harrison Post read Liz Brown’s Twilight Man: Love and Ruin in the Shadows of Hollywood and the Clark Empire (2021). 

Materials related to Clark, Jr. and Post’s relationship can be found in the William Andrews Clark Jr. and William Andrews Clark Memorial Library Records. Examples include:

• A letter to Post from Clark, Jr. Clarkive Pre-1934; Box 8, Folder 6.
• Photographs of Clark, Jr. and Post in Europe (possibly Mont St. Michel). Clarkive Pre-1934; Box 12, Folder 15.

To find books related to Harrison Post go to UC Library Search. Click on “Advanced Search,” select the “Subject” field, and type “Harrison Post” You can also do a keyword search either in the simple search or in the “Any field” field of the “Advanced Search.” Once you have search results, you can limit to the Clark Library by selecting it from the “UCLA Locations” facet. 

For detailed inventories of archival collections related to Post and Clark, Jr. consult the Clark Library's page on the Online Archive of California (OAC).