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Stock# 92839
Description

Delightful Photo Album of San Diego Back Country and La Jolla

Viola and Richard Requa, the noted Architect and Friends 

Early Views of La Mesa, Mission Valley Schoolhouse, Lakeside, and More

A wonderful vernacular photo album, apparently compiled by Viola Requa, the wife of noted California architect Richard Requa, or possibly a close friend of the Requas. The newlywed Requas are seen here among a group of friends on various trips within San Diego County.  The spirited collection of Kodak snapshots includes numerous historically interesting views of San Diego and environs, including remarkable images of back county scenery during a Palomar Mountain camping trip and early single-room schoolhouses in Mission Valley and La Mesa. One of the outstanding photos shows a Cuyamaca Motor Train car of the style used from 1908 to 1916 between San Diego and La Mesa Springs. There are numerous scenic views of San Diego back country, including at La Mesa, Lakeside and Palomar. A pair of Tijuana views shows a few buildings in the famous border town as well as a border monument. There are various beach scenes at La Jolla, Coronado and Ocean Beach. Most of the images are identified with handwritten captions on the album leaves (these captions are listed below).

Richard Requa and the Spanish Colonial Revival

Richard Requa (1881-1941), who appears in two of the photographs in the present album, together with his wife Viola (née Hust), was an American architect renowned for his contribution to the Spanish Colonial Revival style of architecture, particularly in California. Requa played a crucial role in the design and development of many notable buildings in San Diego, such as the San Diego Museum of Art, the Serra Museum, and the Casa de Balboa. He was deeply influenced by the rich history and cultural heritage of California, and his designs reflected a strong connection to the Spanish Colonial architectural traditions. Requa's work was pivotal in establishing the Spanish Colonial Revival as a significant architectural style in California, and his influence can still be seen in many buildings across the state today.

Handwritten Captions (on album leaves):

  • 1908 - Summer Camping Trip to Palomar Mt.
  • Hattie Requa, Viola Requa, Dona Engler, Helen Kidwell
  • Up the Grade [to Palomar Mountain, young women in front of horse carriage]
  • The Hotel [Palomar Mountain]
  • Post Office [small wooden building, Palomar]
  • Our Camp
  • Four Bumps on a log [four young women sitting on a log]
  • Yours truly
  • Old Saw Mill
  • Tiger Lilies
  • Hidden Cabin
  • On the Rocks
  • Rustic Bridge built by Pitners
  • Calves
  • Doan's Cabin
  • Pasture
  • Start to the Falls
  • Lone Pine Trail
  • Asher's Cabin
  • Below Cabin 
  • Single Tepee
  • The Falls
  • Iron Springs
  • Sunset
  • School House Dance & Church
  • Indian Tepee
  • Large tree
  • Hattie, Dona, Helen, Viola, Dr. Jones & family
  • Mr. & Mrs. Richard Requa [the young couple standing in front of a tree in the San Diego back country]
  • The Falls
  • Breaks
  • Sword Ferns
  • La Mesa Springs People, 1908[four young women and two boys on a La Mesa porch]
  • School La Mesa 1907-1908 [series of 9 views of La Mesa, including schoolhouse and pupils, Cuyamaca motor train car of the style in use from 1908 to 1916, a bird's eye snapshot of La Mesa, and hotel.
  • Lakeside
  • Adelaide Loomis, Maibelle Williams at La Jolla, 1908 Aug. [three views in the water and La Jolla Cove]
  • On a Torpedo Boat
  • Miss Delphy Rowing Crew
  • Coronado Views [series of 9 photos showing Hotel del Coronado, beach scenes, palm houses, floating casino for dancing]
  • C. D. Storm in Seattle
  • Arnett Snyder & Dog
  • Mission Valley 1908-1909 [two views of schoolhouse at Mission Valley and group shot of school children]
  • Two dears [sic, deers]
  • The Pavillion
  • At Tent City, Grace & Fritz, 1909 Summer.
  • Fritz, Grace Cordelia, (?) Roy
  • Cordelia
  • In Children's Pool
  • On Bay
  • Seal
  • The Casino
  • Waiting at Concer [early automobiles, Coronado]
  • [Richard and Viola Requa with another man sitting on lawn at Coronado]
  • Monument between Mexico & U. S. [at Tijuana]
  • Tia Juana [i.e. Tijuana, showing three buildings, including City Meat Market and Cantina Club, J.R. Alvarez]
  • Toddles [woman with white cat]
  • Ocean Beach, Harry & Harold [series of three snapshots, in the surf at Ocean Beach, children on swings]
Condition Description
Contemporary handmade photo album of flexible suede leather, bound with leather cord. Hand painted cover title: "Kodaks." Some light wear, but both album binding, album pages and photographs in very good condition overall. 109 original photographs, most measuring either 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches or 2 1/2 x 4 inches.