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Photographs of Los Angeles and Vicinity by W.H. Fletcher: Finding
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photCL 435
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Title: Photographs of Los Angeles and Vicinity by W.H. Fletcher
Dates (inclusive): approximately 1880s-1890s
Collection Number: photCL 435
Creator:
Fletcher, W. H. (William H.)
Extent:
25 photographs in 1 box; prints 12.5 x 19.5 cm (5 x 7.5 in.), mounts 14 x 22 cm (5 1/4 x 8 1/2 in.)
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Photo Archives
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection of 25 William H. Fletcher commercial card photographs focus mainly on Los Angeles, California, during a period
of industrial expansion and population growth in the late 1800s, with special attention on Los Angeles
Street (which passes through Downtown Los Angeles) and what is now the Historic Core and Civic Center districts. There are
also town and nature views of Pasadena, Santa Monica, Ventura, Redondo Beach, and Burbank. Images of
Missions San Fernando Rey, San Luis Rey, and San Juan Capistrano are also included.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Photographs of Los Angeles and Vicinity by W.H. Fletcher. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Purchased from Mead Kibbey on December 30, 1999
William H. Fletcher was born in Hollis, New Hampshire, in 1838, shortly before his family moved to Lyndon, Vermont, that same
year. He learned photography while working in the
pharmaceutical and jewelry industries. Fletcher moved to Los Angles, California, in 1885, planning to establish himself as
a druggist; however, an overabundance of pharmacies obliged him to turn to photography.
Fletcher went into commercial photography but did not establish a formal studio or gallery of his own. The subjects of his
photographs focused on Los Angeles just when it began to expand with immigrants and new businesses.
He also traveled through the areas surrounding Los Angeles, photographing scenes from San Pedro, Santa Monica, Redondo Beach,
Pasadena, and Ventura, aiming to tempt New Englanders to vacation out west.
Many of Fletcher’s photographs were sold as card photographs to curio dealers to sell to tourists.
Sometime after 1900, Fletcher retired from professional photography and went into the oil business; he died in 1922.
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection of William H. Fletcher commercial card photographs focus mainly on Los Angeles, California, during a period
of industrial expansion and population growth in the late 1800s.
The images depict various views around Los Angeles, which include Los Angeles Street and some of its intersections, the Main
and Spring Streets junction, Old Chinatown, the College of Medicine at
University of Southern California (in its second incarnation on Buena Vista Street, now North Broadway), Llewellyn Iron Works,
Elysian Park, the Hollenbeck Home for retirees, and what may be William H. Fletcher’s
residence (see item 6).
Also included are photographs of Colorado Boulevard, Fair Oaks Avenue, and Devil’s Gate in Pasadena; the Los Angeles River;
the Hotel Arcadia in Santa Monica; the Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro; Ventura; Redondo Beach;
and the California missions San Luis Rey, San Juan Capistrano, and San Fernando Rey.
Related materials in the Huntington Library
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
California missions-- Photographs.
City & town life -- California -- Los Angeles -- 1890-1900 -- Photographs.
Chinatown (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Gorges -- Photographs.
Hotels -- California -- 1870-1910 -- Photographs.
Llewellyn Iron Works -- Photographs.
Parks -- California -- Los Angeles -- Photographs.
Point Fermin Lighthouse -- Photographs.
Rest homes -- California -- Los Angeles -- Photographs.
San Fernando, Rey de España (Mission : San Fernando, Calif.) -- Photographs.
San Luis Rey Mission (Calif.)-- Photographs.
University of Southern California. College of Medicine -- Photographs.
Burbank (Los Angeles County, Calif.) -- Photographs.
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Los Angeles River (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Pasadena (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Redondo Beach (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Santa Monica (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Ventura (Calif.) -- Photographs.
Aerial views.
Card photographs.
Cityscapes.
Photographs.