Photographs of California and Oregon, 1912–1913 : An Eye For Architecture and Beautiful Landscapes
A rich and varied album comprising 136 original photographs documenting scenes across San Diego, La Jolla, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland during the early 1910s. The album opens with a personal outdoor image of Helen Parry, Bill Shoup, and a Miss Raymond on a see-saw, setting a casual tone for a collection that moves between private moments, major Southern California landmarks to impressive compositions of lesser-known subjects.
Irving Gill's Bella Vista Terrace Court in Sierra Madre
Notable highlights include two photographs dated February 1, 1913, of Bella Vista Terrace Court in Sierra Madre, an early rental cottage court designed by the famous proto-modernist Southern California architect Irving J. Gill. Built in 1910 using hollow clay bricks and finished with stark off-white plaster in Gill’s distinctive interpretation of Mission Style, the court featured shared gardens and a signature loggia. One of images clearly shows a "Cottages for Rent" sign.
Another important series comprises ten photographs of La Jolla featuring coastal scenery, the Sunny Jim and White Lady Caves, and a Mr. and Mrs. Wade. Nearby San Diego images include a group of views at Old Town San Diego including the so-called Ramona’s Marriage Place, neighboring adobes, and railroad tracks. Point Loma is represented with photographs of the Old Lighthouse and Bennington Monument.
The album also includes four photographs of Echo Park in Los Angeles; a significant series of fifteen views at San Fernando Mission, capturing adobe ruins, interiors, and cactus gardens; and glimpses of Mill Valley, including an ivy-clad residence. There are further images of Crown Hill and a panorama taken from that neighborhood; the harbor at San Pedro, including the S.S. Willamette, Point Fermin cliffs and ocean views, and the U.S. Torpedo Boat Preble. Other Southern California highlights include three images of Glendora, the estate Los Alisos of Judge Silent.
Other Los Angeles locations include Elysian Park (four images) and coastal views at Santa Monica. Ten photographs from Sawpit Canyon capture rugged landscapes, while the journey north documents Shasta Springs and Mt. Shasta (seen from Weed), and four views of Sutro's Gardens in San Francisco. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Cathedral at Van Ness and Sutter Streets, San Francisco, also appears.
The Oregon segment includes photographs of the Water Reservoir and City Park in Portland, the whimsical Owl House, the statue of Sacagawea, the Willamette River, Castle Rock on the Columbia River, and the Scottish Rite Cathedral.
In sum, the album forms a compelling visual record of early 20th-century California and Oregon, with a rare eye for beautiful architectural, coastal, and natural scenery with only occasional glimpses into domestic life.