EMPEROR NORTON :: Original Research & Commentary
Research Archive
Since late 2014, Emperor Norton Trust founder John Lumea has written and published nearly 175 articles of original research on various aspects of the Emperor’s life and legacy. And, he has produced numerous other historical resources — including an interactive map (link); an art archive (link); and talks — on these subjects.
Links to the most recent 20 research articles — plus a listing of links to several commentaries — published via the Trust’s blog are here.
For links to the last 100 articles, see under “Research” in our general blog archive.
Permissions and attribution
Unless otherwise noted, all research published in articles via The Emperor Norton Trust’s blog was conducted and written by John Lumea for The Emperor Norton Trust. Creators in any medium who wish to quote, adapt or otherwise use this research in any published work that draws on this research must secure permission from the Trust and provide appropriate attribution in the work. For further information, please contact us.
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Following is the complete list of 189 (current total) research articles and research-related news items, with a link for each.
The “Emperor Norton” Trees of Mariposa and Calaveras
Apr 24, 2024
Emperor Norton, A Metaphor in His Own Time
Apr 18, 2024
The Emperor Norton Cartoon That Got the Jump on Jump
Mar 28, 2024
Emperor Norton Status Report, Midwest Edition
Mar 20, 2024
A Better Date for Two Photographs of Emperor Norton
Mar 10, 2024
Daily Alta’s Interest & Influence in Milking Emperor Norton for Comedy Was Well-Known at the Time
Mar 6, 2024
Emperor Norton on the Crest of the Farmers Market Wave
Feb 24, 2024
1870s Forecasts of a Market for Emperor Norton Photographs & Signatures
Feb 18, 2024
From 60 Miles to the East, A Newspaper Foreshadows Emperor Norton's Role as Defender of the Chinese
Feb 14, 2024
Celebrated Humorist in 1871: Emperor Norton Is Among “The Geniuses That Frisco Has Sent Broadcast to the World”
Jan 22, 2024
Emperor Norton Was a San Francisco Fixture Within 3 Years of Declaring His Reign
Jan 16, 2024
Emperor Norton Was More Interested in National Unity Than in “State’s Rights”
Jan 10, 2024
Emperor Norton Does Art Criticism With a Borrowed Jackknife — And the Crowd Loves It
Dec 28, 2023
The Emperor Norton National Fame Accelerator of 1875
Dec 20, 2023
Joshua Norton, Eternal Optimist
Nov 28, 2023
A Tale of Two Storeships
Nov 21, 2023
The Genesis of the Second “Joshua Norton & Co.” of San Francisco
Nov 16, 2023
Joshua Norton’s First Public Moves in San Francisco Appear to Support His Claim of a November 1849 Arrival
Oct 30, 2023
Joshua Norton at the Merchants’ Exchange
Sep 26, 2023
Joshua Norton, Pioneer
Aug 8, 2023
The Ferry Building Clock Tower from Emperor Norton’s Street
Jul 20, 2023
Emperor Norton vs. the Rev. Mr. Hammond
Jul 12, 2023
The Pantheonic Statuette of Norton I
May 30, 2023
A Funeral Cortege “Two Miles Long”? Not Really.
May 22, 2023
Emperor Norton Abolished the Democratic and Republican Parties — Twice
Apr 28, 2023
Emperor Norton as an Artist’s Model
Apr 26, 2023
The Last Proclamation of Norton I?
Apr 21, 2023
The Time Emperor Norton Was a “Pepper” Too
Apr 18, 2023
Beinecke Library and The Emperor Norton Trust Partner to Correct Description of Carte de Visite
Apr 14, 2023
The Sporting Emperor Norton
Mar 28, 2023
Did the Social Drinker Emperor Norton Close Out as a Teetotaler?
Mar 26, 2023
The “Eyes of the Emperor” in 1879
Mar 20, 2023
Emperor Norton at Swimley’s
Feb 24, 2023
Lewis Wharf, Boston’s Gateway to Joshua Norton’s New World
Feb 6, 2023
Emperor Norton Arrives on the Great White Way
Jan 17, 2023
The Pro-Vaccination Emperor of 1869
Jan 4, 2023
Joshua Norton at the Transamerica Pyramid
Dec 14, 2022
Is the Clock Tower of the San Francisco Ferry Building Based on the Bell Tower of a Cathedral in Spain?
Nov 15, 2022
The Mixed Economy of the Eureka Lodgings Building of Commercial Street
Oct 28, 2022
Emperor Norton’s Residence, the Eureka Lodgings, Was Not Located (Exactly) Where You Think It Was
Sep 26, 2022
Recovering Emperor Norton’s 1861 Proclamation Against Privateering
Aug 12, 2022
Joshua Norton and the McAllister Brothers
Jul 15, 2022
Bankrolling the Baker of the Emperor Norton Sourdough Snacks
Jul 10, 2022
Emperor Norton’s Friend the Butcher
Jun 20, 2022
A Closer Look at an Emperor Norton Treasure Hunt Medallion
Jun 14, 2022
San Francisco Rice Imports from Late 1852 to Early 1853 Point to Market Specifics of Joshua Norton’s Gambit
May 22, 2022
Did San Francisco City Government Really Buy Emperor Norton a New Suit?
May 18, 2022
The Time Emperor Norton Lost His Platform But Kept His Dignity
Apr 12, 2022
Emperor Norton’s Proclamations on the Chinese, 1868–1878
Mar 14, 2022
“A New State of Things?” A Pre-Imperial Proclamation from Joshua Norton in July 1859
Mar 8, 2022
The Secret History of One of Emperor Norton’s Favorite Free-Lunch Haunts
Mar 4, 2022
The Emperor of Brooklyn, Part 2
Feb 18, 2022
Did Emperor Norton Really Live at the Eureka Lodgings on Commercial Street for 17 Years?
Jan 14, 2022
The Emperor Was Not Amused
Dec 21, 2021
An 1875 Photo Captures the Flavor of the Street Adjacent to Emperor Norton’s Publisher and Printer
Sep 14, 2021
Norton Sibling Exodus, 1838–1851
Sep 1, 2021
Emperor Norton's Sister, Aficionado of Anemones
Aug 26, 2021
The Latter-Day Twain-ification of an Early Theatrical Depiction of Emperor Norton
Aug 18, 2021
A Ring to Kiss?
Aug 10, 2021
Joshua Norton's Losses, 1854–1856
Aug 3, 2021
Joshua Norton in the Census of 1870
Jul 27, 2021
Bill Drury's "Emperor Norton Bridge" Petition of 1986
Jul 12, 2021
Early 1950s Push to Find a Home for Storied But Snubbed Emperor Norton Plaque
Jul 7, 2021
Norton Biographer Allen Stanley Lane’s Presentation Copy Twofer
Jun 22, 2021
Joshua Norton in Occidental Lodge No. 22 of Free and Accepted Masons
Jun 8, 2021
Emperor Norton's Un-Final Resting Place
Jun 2, 2021
Joshua Norton First Set Foot in the United States in 1846 — in Boston
May 25, 2021
Joshua Norton, Auctioneer
May 24, 2021
Joshua Norton of Jackson Street
May 17, 2021
Rarely Seen Version of Familiar Photo Reveals Clearer Picture of Emperor Norton
May 10, 2021
Did Two Emperors, Norton I and Pedro II, Really Meet in 1876?
Apr 24, 2021
The Other Side of Bagley Place
Apr 7, 2021
Caveat Emptor
Mar 26, 2021
The "Emperor Norton" Disappeared from the Ghirardelli Menu a Decade Earlier Than Believed
Feb 16, 2021
Rarely Seen 1876 Photo Offers a Tiny First Glimpse of Emperor Norton's Residence
Oct 21, 2020
Dating the Earliest Extant Photograph of Emperor Norton
Oct 8, 2020
Author & Journalist Gary Kamiya Cites Emperor Norton Trust in Correction on "Frisco"
Oct 4, 2020
What Did Andrew Smith Hallidie Know About Joshua Norton's Original Funding?
Sep 29, 2020
Obituaries, Death Notices and Memories of Emperor Norton, January 1880: A Partial Listing
Sep 15, 2020
Emperor Norton, the Phoenix and the Branding of San Francisco
Sep 2, 2020
Charles A. Murdock, Second and Last Printer to Norton I: A Photo Gallery
Aug 24, 2020
Stereographic Photos of Emperor Norton on a Chinatown Street (Hi-Res Edition)
Jul 29, 2020
Emperor Norton in the Artistic Taxonomy of Antonio Sotomayor
May 6, 2020
Emperor Norton, Political Independent, Gives a Speech in 1875
Apr 24, 2020
Of Medals and Medallions: Four Artifacts of Mid-20th-Century “Norton Culture”
Apr 17, 2020
Even in Death and Wax, the Eyes of the Emperor Were on the Former HQ of Denis Kearney’s Anti-Chinese Crusade
Mar 20, 2020
Library of Congress & Emperor Norton Trust Update Emperor Norton's Birth Year from 1819 to 1818
Mar 5, 2020
On the Road to the Emperor Norton Bridge, 1926–1932
Oct 7, 2019
Lockhart & Porter, Undertakers and Casket Makers to the Emperor in 1880
Sep 27, 2019
Oofty Goofty Wore a Leather Pad in His Pants
Aug 30, 2019
Emperor Norton & Denis Kearney, Together in 1879 — On the Back Cover of The San Francisco Illustrated Wasp
Aug 21, 2019
Emperor Norton Days, 1989
Jul 16, 2019
Chief Crowley Releases a Sword
Jul 12, 2019
Emperor Norton Scrip in 1867?
Jul 10, 2019
A REAL GONE BRIDGE: Judy Garland's 1959 Remake of "San Francisco" Turns 60
Jul 1, 2019
An Early Pro-Immigrant Proclamation from the Immigrant Emperor
Jun 21, 2019
When a Veteran Rocker’s Great Great Grandparents Hosted Emperor Norton at Their Sonoma Valley Ranch
May 21, 2019
Emperor Norton & The Great Unknown: Two Eccentrics Meet in a Rare Illustration from 1871
May 15, 2019
Emperor Norton's Hunch: "Lu Watters Original" or Variation on an Earlier Theme?
Apr 17, 2019
Emperor Norton's Tour of 1864
Apr 15, 2019
Emperor Norton at Madame Pique's
Apr 5, 2019
In the Wake of the Emperor’s Death, A Literary Tribute and a Woodcut Illustration Appears in Illinois
Mar 18, 2019
Emperor Norton, Friend of Immigrants
Mar 13, 2019
"To Dream of the Emperor Norton"
Mar 11, 2019
Emperor Norton at a Pro-Civil Rights Lecture, March 1868
Feb 24, 2019
The Emperor Norton Rooms of 1961
Feb 12, 2019
“The Old Boy Doped It Out Pretty Damn Well” — Notes on an Early "Emperor's Bridge" Campaigner
Jan 15, 2019
Campaign Discovers Newspaper Record of Emperor Norton’s Famous Stand-Off with an Anti-Chinese Crowd
Jan 4, 2019
OPEN QUESTION No. 4: Was the Christmas Tree in Union Square, San Francisco, Really Emperor Norton’s Idea?
Dec 18, 2018
Emperor Norton Addressed the European Trade Crisis of 1870 With an Offer of Imperial Bonds
Oct 24, 2018
THE LONGEST PROCLAMATION? Emperor Norton at the Lyceum for Self-Culture
Sep 4, 2018
New Transbay Transit Center Is in Norton's Old Neighborhood
Aug 14, 2018
Emperor Norton Makes the News at the German "Ladies Fair" of 1878
Jun 2, 2018
Time-Traveling With One of the Earliest Comic Illustrations of Emperor Norton
May 14, 2018
Emperor Norton's Note to the Ladies of the German Benevolent Society
Mar 15, 2018
"My Dear Lotta": Emperor Norton's Telegram to Lotta Crabtree
Feb 28, 2018
The Itemized Bill for Emperor Norton's 1934 Reburial — And Who Paid It
Feb 21, 2018
Setting the Record Straight on the Famous Emperor Norton Obit(s)
Dec 15, 2017
The Most Respectful Directory?
Aug 30, 2017
Emperor Norton, c.1871–72
Jun 27, 2017
His Majesty's Voice Reaches the South
May 25, 2017
Notes on His Majesty's Printers
May 2, 2017
The Eastern Approach to the Imperial Palace
Apr 30, 2017
David Belasco: An Early "Emperor Norton" of the San Francisco Stage
Mar 26, 2017
"I Would Like to Send That Scalp of Yours to Them."
Feb 24, 2017
New Life for an 1879 Drawing of Emperor Norton
Feb 19, 2017
OPEN QUESTION No. 1: How and When Did Joshua Norton Get to San Francisco?
Feb 10, 2017
Mark Twain Ate Here. Did Emperor Norton?
Jan 16, 2017
The Diogenes of San Francisco
Jan 8, 2017
In 1878, A Prominent Artist Numbers the Emperor's Days
Jan 7, 2017
"Baby Face Norton" Is Baby-Faced — But Not Norton
Dec 29, 2016
Rosebuds for the Emperor, 1913
Oct 27, 2016
What Ever Happened to the Plaque of '59?
Sep 7, 2016
Admiral Santa Norton Claus
Sep 2, 2016
Introducing ARENA: Archive of Emperor Norton in Art, Music & Film
Jul 7, 2016
The Emperor Norton Sundae: Vintage Ghirardelli Menus Edition
May 23, 2016
Rev. Fitzgerald's Recollections
May 20, 2016
Palmer Cox's "Emperor Norton"
May 5, 2016
"I Will Hold That Flag"
Apr 26, 2016
The Emperor Championed an Airship Inventor Who Published This Map of San Francisco in 1875
Apr 22, 2016
Sleuthing the Origins of an Early Film Portrayal of Emperor Norton
Mar 21, 2016
Two Traces of Allen Stanley Lane
Mar 8, 2016
CHAMBER TALK #3 | The Good Emperor: The Best Proclamations You've Never Heard Of
Mar 4, 2016
On the Trail of the Elusive "Frisco" Proclamation
Feb 12, 2016
Mother Jones "Link-Checks" Campaign in History of "Frisco"
Jan 31, 2016
2015 IN RESEARCH: Findings, Ferretings & [F]otographs — Fantastic!
Dec 30, 2015
A Case for "Frisco"
Dec 30, 2015
No. 2234
Dec 23, 2015
Emperor Norton Welcomes the Stranger
Nov 27, 2015
"Let the Emperor Have Skates — Or Close Up the Rinks!"
Nov 15, 2015
A Mysterious Signature
Oct 4, 2015
Campaign Awarded Grant to Publish Book of Norton Proclamations
Sep 21, 2015
The Original Public Advocate
Sep 13, 2015
The Houseworth Photographs
Aug 28, 2015
Emperor Norton at Ease
Jul 8, 2015
Herb Caen, Emperor Norton & “Frisco”
Jun 30, 2015
Emperor Norton in Profile, c.1878
Jun 22, 2015
The Emperor of Brooklyn
Jun 3, 2015
In the Emperor’s Study
May 26, 2015
The Eights Have It!
May 17, 2015
The Snubs of 1934
May 8, 2015
Mr. Hutchinson's Mementos
Apr 26, 2015
The Confluence of Market, Post & Montgomery Streets in 1868
Apr 6, 2015
The Proclamatorium of Post Street
Apr 6, 2015
Emperor Norton at the Metropolitan Hotel
Apr 1, 2015
Joshua Norton at the Rassette House
Mar 26, 2015
FIELD TALK #1 | The Street Where He Lived: An Illustrated History of Emperor Norton’s Commercial Street
Feb 24, 2015
Zpub, Emperor Norton Records & the Emperor’s Birth Date: A Case Study in Good Intentions & Undue Influence
Feb 16, 2015
Joshua Abraham Norton, b. 4 February 1818
Feb 9, 2015
Doggies and Pyromaniacs for Emperor Norton!
Feb 6, 2015
The Fourth of February of the San Francisco of 1865
Jan 26, 2015
The Emperor's 197th Birthday: A Party & Presentation of Recent Findings
Jan 10, 2015
The Emperor's New Year, 1875
Jan 2, 2015
The Emperor Norton Moment
Dec 17, 2014
Did Influential Norton Biographer Robert Ernest Cowan Fudge the Emperor's Birth Date?
Dec 6, 2014
Respected Web Site on "1820 Settlers" Updates the Emperor's Birth Date
Dec 5, 2014
Homing in on the Emperor's Birth Date?
Dec 2, 2014
James Kenneth Piggott, Early Photographer of the Emperor’s Bridge
Nov 27, 2013
On This Day in 1874
Oct 17, 2013
A View of the Emperor's San Francisco
Oct 11, 2013
“This, a Madman’s Dream, We Shall Attain!”
Oct 10, 2013