Collection of Southern California and Mexico Photographs

This collection contains photographs by commercial photographers, dated ca. 1890-1910, illustrating recreation and scenery on Catalina Island, a hotel and public parks in Southern California, and various historical sites and street scenes in Mexico City. Many of the photographs include tourists and local residents, such as bathers on Catalina Island, and people in parks and towns.

Photographs of Catalina Island include views of Avalon, Sugarloaf Point, sailboats and glass-bottom boats, steamships, bathers at the beach, a tent city, and sailors of the steamship the "San Diego". California views include Missions San Gabriel, San Fernando, and San Juan Capistrano; the Coronado Hotel in San Diego; Central Park, St. James Park, and Hollenbeck Park (all based in Los Angeles); Adams Street in Los Angeles; the Shakespearean actress Helena [Madame] Modjeska's home in Orange County; and an interior view of Columbia Savings Bank's then president Aaron M. Ozum's residence at 3131 Figueroa Street, Los Angeles. Photographs of Mexico depict the Cathedral de Mexico, Paseo de la Reforma, interiors and exteriors of Castillo de Chapultepec, Hotel Iturbide, Mercado Volador, Canal de la Viga, the daily lives of Mexican citizens, the Zócalo (now known as the Plaza de la Constitución), and various street scenes. There are 12 miscellaneous photographs (102-114), in small square or circular format, mounted on board, that appear to be among the oldest here. They show cargo ships at shipping docks (one identified "McNab & Smith Draying") possibly in San Francisco, a steamship, and gardens. C. B. Waite photographed 19 of the 114 prints in this collection. Other photographers who contributed to this collection are Charles F. Ironmonger, Frank L. Park, Percy Cox and R. J. Carmichael, J. C. Hatton Noren F. Swenson, and the Special View Company. Two photographers were identified on some photographs only by their surnames: Graham and Scott.