The Harold A. Parker Studio Collection of Lantern Slides and Transparencies consists of 96 hand-colored lantern slides and autochrome lantern slides, and 52 color transparencies, ca. 1904-1930, depicting, for the most part, unidentified houses, landscapes, plants and gardens in and around Pasadena; the Huntington Hotel in Pasadena; aerial views, presumably of Pasadena; mountain lakes and landscapes; desert landscapes and flora; the Grand Canyon, Pueblo ruins, and the Petrified Forest; unidentified landscapes; and the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Harold A. Parker (1878-1930) was born in Iowa and immigrated to Pasadena, California, with his parents in 1892 at the age of 14. He became interested in photography at an early age, and began working professionally in 1900. He opened his Pasadena studio in 1904 and operated it until his death in 1930 at the age of 52. Parker also operated a studio in the Tahoe Tavern at Lake Tahoe between 1908 and 1910, where he produced a number of images of the Tavern, Lake Tahoe, and the surrounding areas. Parker was noted for his photographs of California, especially his images of the California Missions and the Tournament of Roses parades; he was also responsible for the earliest aerial images of Pasadena. A commercial photographer, Parker worked as a contract photographer for the Pasadena Star-News Tournament of Roses edition, and took pictures of civic and social organizations, local retailers, and private individuals who commissioned him to record their gatherings, buildings, and various rites of passage.

148 photographs in 4 boxes : lantern slides and color transparencies

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.

Advance arrangements for viewing the collection must be made with the Curator of Photographs. The collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, please visit the Huntington's website: www.huntington.org.