Kannsas born artist George Melville Stone was one of several artists hired by Frank Miller to create artwork for the Mission Inn. His first painting for Miller was a portrait of Miller’s daughter, Allis. Stone created several paintings with a California mission theme. . More

Many talented artists and artisans were associated with the Mission Inn. They created paintings, sculpture, tile, and metalwork. The finest example of metalwork is the St. Francis doors near the lobby. Three artists worked on the project.. More

There are over 100 stained glass windows throughout the Mission Inn. Some are simple. Others are massive, intricate pieces of art. Small windows with the Raincross symbol in silhouette or the Mission Inn escutcheon (house mark) can be found in several guest rooms. The most spectacular are the windows in the St. Francis Chapel made by the Louis Comfort Tiffany studios. More

Artist William Alexander Sharp (1864-1944) was born in England and immigrated to the United States with his father, mother and sister. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and would later teach at Stetson University in Florida. He left Florida and moved to Southern California at the turn of the 20 th century. He began a long association with architect Arthur Benton and Mission Inn owner Frank Miller. In 1908, he produced a rendering/watercolor presentation piece of the Mission Inn, in association with Benton. More

For many years, the Mission Inn was furnished, in part, with Arts and Crafts style furniture. The Arts and Crafts movement, which began at the end of the 19th century, emphasized the importance of handcrafted everyday objects. Architecture, furniture, textiles, ceramics, metalwork, and glass objects were created using simplified designs and natural materials. In part, the movement was a reaction to machine made products and industrialization. More

Despite the influence of the California missions on the design of the Mission Inn, there is also a strong Asian or Oriental influence. Frank Miller had a great affinity for the people of Japan and other parts of the Orient. Miller amassed a large collection of Oriental art. Bells and gongs, religious statuary, including several Buddha’s, lighting fixtures, and ceramic pieces were among the objects displayed throughout the hotel. More

Approximately 250 paintings are contained within the collections of the Mission Inn. Mission Inn owner Frank Miller commissioned some of the paintings for display within the hotel. Spanish and Mexican Colonial paintings in the collections provide a sense of the California missions. There are other paintings depicting California landscapes, including desert, coastal, and mountain scenes. More

Throughout the Mission Inn are many styles and types of tile. There are coats of arms, including the United Kingdom’s symbol, found in guest rooms and on the walls of the International Rotunda. Other tiles serve as decorative features on stairways, on the walls of the Spanish Patio, fireplaces, floors, and even roofs. More

A variety of items were available for sale in the Mission Inn’s Cloister Gift Shop. Postcards, bells, several books and other publications, rosary beads, and artwork made by American Indians were just some of the items guests could purchase. More

The most spectacular painting in the Mission Inn is by artist William Keith. Titled the “California Alps,” it is not of one particular place, but Keith’s idealized version of the mountains and valleys inspired by places like Yosemite National Park. More