When the Oakland Museum of California first opened its doors more than forty years ago, it brought together three historically independent disciplines—art, history, and natural sciences—under one roof. This progressive multidisciplinary approach was to celebrate the many facets of California. Our collections—comprising more than 1.8 million objects including seminal art works, historical artifacts, ethnographic objects, natural specimens, and photographs—and our programs explore and reveal the factors that shape California character and identity, from its extraordinary natural landscapes, to successive waves of migration, to its unique culture of creativity and innovation.
The Oakland Museum of California's digital collection at California Revealed consists of moving images and audio recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s. The collection includes extensive recorded audio of famed photographer, Dorothea Lange, as well as filmed interviews with political activist Jose Sarria.