Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- A collection of photographs approximately 1890-1928 of miner Robert S. Watt and family living in the mountains of Los Angeles County. Assorted views include the Watt Mines Supply Co., Los Angeles; prospecting; hunting; Los Angeles buildings and oil wells; and miscellaneous scenes of Alaska.
- Extent:
- 248 photographs in 4 boxes : prints and glass plate negatives + 2 certificates
- Language:
- English.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
These photographs document daily activities and places visited by the Watt family and unidentified others in and around Los Angeles. There are various unidentified scenes of people hunting, cabins in the woods, horses, and a few group portraits, with some names. Other views show ships and a harbor, possibly in San Pedro, California; Los Angeles buildings (Plaza Church and County Courthouse) and oil wells; a group portrait (item 113) of Los Angeles County Hospital Nurses in 1905, with names written on back. Mining activities include the Watt Mines Supply Co. building; men at an excavation; stamp mill machinery; a man standing at entrance to mine; mule teams with supplies. There is also a group of photographs of Alaska, showing trappers, roadhouses, scenery, and one miner staking a claim on a river. The collection also includes U.S. citizenship papers for Robert S. Watt (1890), and Alexander Barrie (1901), both emigrants from Scotland. The majority of photographs are unidentified, but some have identifications written on the back, including names of Watt family members and others.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The 1912 Los Angeles City Directory lists Robert S. Watt, president of Watt Mines Supply Co. and Arthur B. Watt, assistant superintendent. In 1914, the company is no longer listed and Robert S. Watt is listed as a mining engineer.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Richard Van Vorst from the Watt family estate, July 1969.
- Arrangement:
-
Box 1 contains copy prints made from the glass negatives and other photographic prints of various sizes. Boxes 2-4 contain 91 glass negatives.
- Rules or conventions:
- Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
- Location of this collection:
-
1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2129