Robison of San Francisco

Advertisement, September 1925: "Gold Fish, Birds, Cages, Animals, Dogs, Cats and Monkeys"

Robison of San Francisco was a family-owned bird and animal importer, pet-supply producer, and retail pet shop that began operating during the California Gold Rush and endured until at least 1989.

As the Saturday Evening Post put it in 1953, "from the turn of the century to the [19]20s the Robison store was the world center for the big-animal trade."[1] In the early part of the 20th century Robison was a "clearinghouse for animals arriving on ships from Asia"[2] but as late as 1968, Robison bought and sold "elephants, tigers, lions, and other big game animals for zoos, promotional work, and other use. They [would] stock your lake with black swans, your park with peacocks, your aviary with quetzal."[3] The Robisons sold pets to magnates like William Randolph Hearst,[4] supplied "zebras, elephants and Bengal tigers" to Ringling Brothers and film director Cecil DeMille,[5] and provided "monkeys for pets and medical research,"[6] including those that Jonas Salk used to test his polio vaccine.[7]

The name of the firm was so frequently misspelled and misspoken as Robinson that the firm eventually had entries under both spellings put in the City phone book.[8]

  1. ^ Morse, Ann (1953-08-29). "They Sell People to Pets 1953-08-29: Vol 226 Iss 9". Saturday Evening Post: 32–33.
  2. ^ Hanson, Elizabeth (2018-06-05). Animal Attractions: Nature on Display in American Zoos. Princeton University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-691-18624-5.
  3. ^ Hayes, Elinor (1968-07-21). "How a World Famous Pet Shop Started". Oakland Tribune. p. 22. Retrieved 2022-12-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Rhodes, George (1968-05-06). "68 Years for Ansel Robison: Snakes, Apes, Dogs and People". San Francisco Examiner. p. 40. Retrieved 2022-12-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Robison Pioneer, Dies at 86". The San Mateo Times. 17 Apr 1975. p. 26. Retrieved 2022-12-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Morgan, Judith. "A WOMAN'S WORLD: A STROLL DOWN MAIDEN LANE." Los Angeles Times, Feb 29, 1976, pp. 1-h8. ProQuest, ProQuest 157946438