Lynton Richards Kistler Collection, 1944-1957

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Summary

Title:
Lynton Richards Kistler Collection
Dates:
1944-1957
Creators:
Kistler, Lynton R., 1897-1993
Abstract:
Extent:
1.67 cubic feet
Language:
Preferred citation:

Lynton Richards Kistler Collection. Los Angeles Public Library

Background

Scope and content:

The Lynton Richards Kistler Collection consists of 53 watercolor paintings, spanning an approximately twenty-year period of the 1940s and 1950s. The materials include original watercolor paintings of Los Angeles, California locations, many of which no longer exist. Neighborhoods and parks represented include: Downton Los Angeles, Griffith Park, Echo Park, Elysian Park, Exposition Park, MacArthur Park, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Malibu, as well as miscellaneous cityscapes.

Biographical / historical:

Lynton R. Kistler was a pioneering lithographer who printed the work of 20th-century artists from Jean Charlot to Mollard Sheets and Wayne Thiebaud. Kistler was born in Los Angeles, California, on August 30, 1897. He died at the age of 96 on November 16, 1993. A Los Angeles native, Kistler attended Hollywood and Manual Arts high schools and served in the Army in World War I. Kistler’s studio was born from his father’s lithotype studio of 30 years, where he began exploring lithography as an art medium. His studio was on Patricia Avenue in Cheviot Hills, where the printing renaissance was started. An early exhibit of his prints was shown at Stendahl Gallery, on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, in 1936. His prints chronicled the art in early Los Angeles and his watercolors documented early historical landscapes. Kistler taught lithography at UCLA Extension and in 1950, published the book titled “How to Make a Lithograph.” The artist was a very important figure in the Los Angeles art community having printed the works of Lorser Feitelson, Helen Lundeberg, Beatrice Wood, Hans Burkhardt, Eugene Berman, Clinton Adams, Palmer Schoppe, and others.

Acquisition information:
The collection was donated by Dean Hansell on November 30, 2023.

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid created by Los Angeles Public Library staff.
Date Prepared:
1944-1957
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:54 p.m.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research by appointment only in the Rare Books reading room. Information about setting appointments can be found on the Library’s website at lapl.org/branches/rarebooks. Appointments can also be arranged by sending an email inquiry to specialcollections [at] lapl.org.

Terms of access:

Any reproduction, redistribution, publication, or other use, by any means, without prior written permission is prohibited. Photocopies, copy prints and digital images can be provided. With the proper fees and permissions, many images can be used in commercial and non-profit applications. For personal and commercial uses of the Library's images, the Library will send to the user a Commercial Use Agreement which states access rights to images and copyright restrictions. This agreement must be returned to the library before the order will be processed. It will also state proper credit to be used for the product whenever photographs are used in commercial or non-profit situations. Further information regarding Use and Reproduction may be found on the Library’s website: https://tessa.lapl.org/special-collections-ordering.

Preferred citation:

Lynton Richards Kistler Collection. Los Angeles Public Library

Location of this collection:
Central Library
630 W. 5th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071, US
Contact:
(213) 228-7355
specialcollections@lapl.org
Website