Photograph Collections in Southern California

Photographic Collections in Southern California

Photograph Collections in the Regional History Center at USC
The Regional History Collection is located in the East Library; arrangements must be made in advance for access by calling (213) 821-2366.
Possibly the finest assemblage of photographs relating to the Southern California area, the Regional History Collection (RHC) is made up of several important photographic collections:

Hearst Collection

Photographic morgue of the Hearst newspaper, the Los Angeles Examiner, 1930-1961. The collection also includes the clipping file from the newspaper, and serves as a subject index (including persons) for the time period covered. (1.2 million photographs)

California Historical Society Collection

23,000 photographs documenting history of southern California from 1870-1940. The Ticor and Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce collections are the 2 major components of this collection; good coverage of downtown, and older communities such as Hollywood, Pasadena, and Venice.

Dick Whittington Collection

500,000 negatives and about 6000 prints, documenting the commercial development of the region from 1924-1980.

Photograph Collections at the University Archives at USC
The University Archives at USC are located in the East Library; telephone the Archivist at (213) 743-2435 for more information about the collection. Visits are by appointment only.
The photographic collections are based on the University itself, rather than the surrounding city. There are a great many photographs and negatives of buildings, events on campus, students, and the campus. In addition to the photographs the Archives maintains a clipping file about USC, and has an index to the Daily Trojan (1973-).

Photograph Collections at Los Angeles Public Library
The photograph collection at LAPL is located in the History Department of the main library at 630 W. Fifth Street; the telephone number is (213) 228-7400.
The Library has approximately 2.2 million photographs, from the turn of the century to about the present time; includes portraits, street scenes, and buildings. There are two major collections: the Security Pacific National Bank Collection; and the Hearst Corporation Collection containing photographs from the Los Angeles Evening Herald beginning in the early 1910s, the Herald Express after it merged with the Evening Herald, and the Herald Examiner after its merger with the Examiner in 1962.

Photograph Collections at UCLA's Department of Special Collections
The Department of Special Collections is located in the University Research Library, 405 Hilgard Avenue in Westwood; the telephone number is (310) 825-7253.
The Department has the photographic morgue of both the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News. There are also 300,000 negatives from the collection of Los Angeles commercial photographer, Otto Rothschild.

Photograph Collection at L.A. County Museum of Natural History
The LACMNH is located at 900 Exposition Boulevard in Exposition Park; the telephone number is 213-744-3355.
The collection has about 150,000 photographs and 75,000 glass negatives. The major focus is on Los Angeles and southern California for the period of the 1880s to the 1920s.

Southwest Museum
The Southwest Museum is located at 234 Museum Drive in Highland Park; the telephone number is (213) 221-2164.
The Museum has about 80,000 prints and 20,000 negatives, mostly from the late 19th century to about 1930. It is especially strong in American Indian tribes, particularly those of the Southwest. Many photographs of the missions and California adobes. Work of major photographers of the Southwest, including Charles Lumis, George Wharton Jones, and others. Limited to serious research.

Henry E. Huntington Library
The Library is located at 1151 Oxford Road in San Marino; the telephone number is (714) 792-6141.
The Library has about 150,000 photographs, with the emphasis on the period 1850-1930. Large amount of material on Los Angeles and Southern California. Among the subjects covered are architecture, portraits, Indian tribes, and the San Gabriel Valley. Access limited to those involved in scholarly research.

Urban Archives at California State University, Northridge
The Archives is located at 18111 Nordhoff Street in Northridge; the telephone number is (818) 885-2487.
The organization collects historical records of voluntary associations and interest groups of Los Angeles. There are several thousand prints, slides, and negatives; many labor groups and photographs of labor strikes.