Description
This collection contains photographs of the members and grounds of Southern California beach and golf clubs that formed part
of the
Los Angeles Athletic Club in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The clubs represented are the Santa Monica Athletic Club and
Deauville Club; the Hermosa Beach Surf
and Sand Club; the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades; and the Long Beach Pacific Coast Club. The photographs, presumably
created as promotional images,
depict clubhouse buildings and rooms, as well as members engaged in club leisure activities such as sunbathing, swimming,
beach volleyball, and golf. Nearly half
of the photographs are close-up shots of beach-goers.
Background
The Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) was founded as a private athletic and social club in Los Angeles, California, in 1880.
In the 1920s,
the LAAC merged with four regional clubs suffering financial difficulties: the Pacific Coast Club of Long Beach in 1927; the
Santa Monica
Athletic Club, the Hollywood Athletic Club, and the Surf and Sand Club of Hermosa Beach in 1929; and the Deauville Club of
Santa Monica in
1935. The clubs, known as the "allied clubs," were open to all LAAC members. In 1927, the LAAC also opened the Riviera Country
Club
(initially known as the "Los Angeles Athletic Club Golf Course") in Pacific Palisades, with an eighteen-hole golf course.
Extent
approximately 270 photographs in 3 boxes : 98 copy prints and approximately 172 film negatives ; prints 8 x 10 in., negatives
3.75 x 5 in. and 8 x 10 in. + 1 reel of 16mm film in 1 box.
Restrictions
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.
Availability
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.