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Early Photograph of Santa Monica Meat Market
A charming 19th-century view of a family posing in front of their butcher shop or "meat market" in Santa Monica, California.
The photograph depicts a small, false-front-style shop front, a common architectural style for commercial buildings of the period. The scene includes a horse and buggy tied at the front, emphasizing the era's transportation norms. Posed in front are the butcher, his wife in a white dress, and their daughter on a bicycle, reflecting a family-run business. The dirt road, fresh-looking concrete sidewalk, and as yet semi-rural surroundings in Santa Monica, all suggest an 1880s date.
The handwritten sign on the right-hand side of the porch advertises "Fresh Fish, Yellow Tail, Baracuda, Perch", all but confirming a Southern California locale.
Given the availability of such a fresh catch, it stands to reason the scene would be in Southern California, likely in Santa Monica or possibly another Los Angeles-area community.
The Pacific barracuda (Sphyraena argentea) ranges from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, north to California, with annual northward migrations along the coast. Various species of perch are also prevalent along the Pacific coast. Therefore, coastal communities in Southern California, such as Los Angeles, would have had abundant access to these fish species during the 1880s.
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