Negatives by various photographers, many unidentified. Arranged geographically and by topic.
A selection of these negatives have been digitized and can be viewed in the Huntington Digital Library.
Arranged in the following sets:
Los Angeles
Los Angeles County – cities and communities
Southern California – other counties
Central California
Northern California
California Missions
Miscellaneous
Panoramic view of Pacific Palisades, California, showing open land and houses with a small community at left. At the intersection in foreground at right, a billboard reads “Hottentot Riding Academy” -- a horse ranch off Sunset Boulevard.
This is a collection primarily of negatives and photographic prints depicting the growth of Santa Monica and Los Angeles, California, from 1860s to 1980s. Many views are cityscapes or street views, showing buildings, storefronts, homes and roads, and documenting the use of railroads, trolleys, streetcars, and automobiles. There are many card photographs by early professional photographers, and also a number of snapshots made by amateurs, some in personal photo albums. The collection's scope also includes early views of many other communities in Southern California (and a few in other states); the beginnings of aviation in Santa Monica, including the first Douglas Aircraft Company buildings; a photo album of residents in Topanga Canyon, ca. 1913; automobile racing in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, 1920s; maritime views; a photo album of U.S. troops in France during World War I; a 1949 real estate development in Apple Valley, California, and others. Besides photographs, a portion of the collection consists of scarce publications and historical ephemera, primarily related to Santa Monica and Los Angeles, including brochures, advertising cards, menus, event programs and other materials. Highlights of the Santa Monica images are aerial views of the buildings along the coast and pier (1920s); several views of the Arcadia Hotel (1880s); the Long Wharf and adjoining railroad and train depot; the first bath houses on the beach; the beach club culture of the 1920s and 1930s; the amusement piers of Santa Monica, Ocean Park and Venice; and the beginnings of the Douglas Aircraft Company. There is a large set of promotional photographs made late 1920s-1930s by Powell Press Service depicting people enjoying Santa Monica's beaches, clubs and outdoor recreation. An important subset within the collection is 407 negatives made ca. 1890 - 1908 by Los Angeles historian and amateur photographer George W. Hazard (1842-1914). Hazard travelled around Los Angeles and vicinity photographing the adobes, houses, streets and storefronts that told the early history of the city. Many of Hazard's negatives have handwritten identifications, naming streets, former homeowners, ranchos, and other historical details. There are a large number of cabinet cards and other card-mounted prints and stereographs. There are 1,264 stereograph prints, highlighted by the works of photographic pioneers William M. Godfrey, Francis Parker, Hayward & Muzzall, and Carleton Watkins. Other formats represented are: glass and film negatives; panoramic prints; 7 photograph albums, photographic postcards, 20th-century color prints and transparencies; and a small number of tintypes, cyanotypes and a set of chromolithographs.
Includes ephemera such as brochures, advertising cards, menus and event programs, but also many historical publications (most are small, bound volumes). Much of the material is related to the history of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and the Southern California region.
Los Angeles
L.A. County cities and communities, alphabetically arranged
California
Other United States
Foreign
Subjects
Various photographers, bulk 1920s-1930s. Arrangement as follows:
Artesia, Ca. - First National Bank building, ca. 1925
Santa Monica and Venice, 1920s-1930s
Other California
Miscellaneous
Glass negatives by George Haley, "Los Angeles Evening Herald"
newspaper photographer, ca. 1922-1932
