Los Angeles Railway Corporation Collection of Photographs

The collection consists of 1165 black-and-white photographs, 97 glass negatives, clippings, correspondence, manuscripts, notes, a card file, and a ledger book related to the Los Angeles Railway, 1851-1939, collected and created by Edwin L. Lewis, a longtime employee of the Los Angeles Railway Corporation (LARy). The collection provides a broad pictorial overview of the development of the railway systems in Los Angeles, California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as information on the physical development of the city itself.

Lewis began collecting the photographs and related clippings and correspondence as background information for his history of the railway systems of Los Angeles. The materials depict and describe views of Los Angeles, primarily downtown, but also some of the neighborhoods that grew as a result of the construction of the street car system; methods and modes of transportation and transportation-related subjects, primarily with regard to the Los Angeles Railway; and employees of the Railway and of the Los Angeles business community, and individuals who were in some way connected with the development of the railroad in Southern California.

The collection is particularly strong in city scenes and panoramic views, primarily of downtown Los Angeles. These include "then and now" comparisons of various Los Angeles neighborhoods; business districts; hotels; city halls; school buildings; commercial and industrial buildings; post office buildings; churches; hospitals; holiday celebrations; and outlying areas (such as Catalina Island and San Diego). The transportation images include, but are not limited to, views of the railway; railway, street and cable cars; stations and station locations; and maps of rail lines. Also included are images of bicycles, carriages, and automobiles.

The material related to individuals consists of biographical files and includes biographical sketches, notes on interviews conducted by Lewis, and/or correspondence, and describes LARy and other railroad employees, individuals who worked in industries connected with transportation, and business leaders in Southern California. The interviews are essentially oral histories, and provide a great deal of information on the development of both the railways in Los Angeles and the development of the city itself. The photographs included in the biographical files are portraits.

The majority of the photographs are annotated on the reverse with location information, a short description, and/or identification of individuals. Some images include annotations on the front. Many of the photographs have clippings taped to the reverse. Some of the photographs exist in duplicate form; however, many of the duplicates are annotated with information not found on the original copy. Some photographs are missing.