Alma de Bretteville Spreckels | |
|---|---|
_01.jpg) Alma de Bretteville Spreckels painted in 1924 by artist Richard Hall. In the painting, Spreckels sits in a chair originally designed (and at least partly created) by Queen Marie of Romania as an audience chair for herself. Spreckels obtained the chair in 1922 for an exhibition at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor; she eventually donated both the chair and the painting to the Maryhill Museum of Art, which she played a major role in founding. | |
| Born | 24 March 1881 |
| Died | 7 August 1968 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | philanthropist |
| Spouse | Adolph B. Spreckels |
Alma de Bretteville Spreckels (March 24, 1881 – August 7, 1968) was a wealthy socialite and philanthropist in San Francisco, California. She was known both as "Big Alma" (she was 6 feet (1.8 m) tall) and "The Great Grandmother of San Francisco". Among her many accomplishments, she persuaded her first husband, sugar magnate Adolph B. Spreckels, to donate the California Palace of the Legion of Honor to the city of San Francisco.