The collection consists of 6240 black-and-white and color photographs, pen and ink drawings, and postcards, 1412 black-and-white and color negatives, 2606 black-and-white and color slides, and ephemeral materials, 1898-1982 (bulk 1920s-1930s). The Automobile Club of Southern California collected the materials, and they form a general photographic reference collection as well as a broad visual survey of topics of interest to California motorists. Included are images of sites in North and Central America (with an emphasis on California), Europe, the Pacific Islands, and portraits, as well as images related to other subjects of interest to the Club's membership. Many of the images were published as illustrations for articles in the Club's first member magazine, Touring Topics.

Founded in Los Angeles in 1900, the Automobile Club of Southern California was one of the nation's first automobile clubs. Its mission included the improvement of roads and driving conditions in the state of California, and the proposing of traffic laws. In 1909, the Automobile Club began publishing its member magazine, Touring Topics, which became Westways in 1933. The magazine chronicled landscapes and destinations that included extensive photographic coverage of the deserts and coastal regions of California, the national parks of the American West, and Hawaii. Many of the photographs included in this collection may have come from the personal files of Philip Townsend Hanna (1896-1957), editor of Touring Topics from 1926-1957, an enthusiastic amateur photographer, and a supporter of local photographers.

58 boxes, 45.36 linear feet

All requests for permission to publish photographs must be submitted in writing to the Curator of Photographs. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Huntington as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.