Finding aid for the John G. and Corrine Tomlinson collection of Southern California photographs, postcards, and memorabilia 7115
Bo Doub
USC Libraries Special Collections
2021 May
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, California 90089-0189
specol@usc.edu
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: John G. and Corrine Tomlinson collection of Southern California photographs, postcards, and memorabilia
Creator:
Tomlinson, John G., Jr.
Creator:
Tomlinson, Corrine
Identifier/Call Number: 7115
Identifier/Call Number: /repositories/3/resources/3087
Physical Description:
15 Linear Feet
20 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1875-1950
Abstract: The collection consists of photographs depicting landscapes, portraits, and businesses in Southern California between 1875
and 1950; Los Angeles and Southern California maps and promotional booklets dating from 1880 to 1940; and approximately 5,250
postcards relating to Southern California dating from 1880 to 1940. John G. Tomlinson, Jr. and Corrine Tomlinson began collecting
the material circa the early 1990s. The collection also includes a large format photograph by H. T. Payne of Benjamin Truman's
residence in Los Angeles circa 1878 and a large format map titled "Business Property May of Los Angeles" dated 1913.
Language of Material:
English
.
The collection consists of photographs depicting landscapes, portraits, and businesses in Southern California between 1875
and 1950; Los Angeles and Southern California maps and promotional booklets dating from 1880 to 1940; and approximately 5,250
postcards relating to Southern California dating from 1880 to 1940. John G. Tomlinson, Jr. and Corrine Tomlinson began collecting
the material circa the early 1990s. The collection also includes a large format photograph by H. T. Payne of Benjamin Truman's
residence in Los Angeles circa 1878 and a large format map titled "Business Property May of Los Angeles" dated 1913.
Advance notice required for access.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections 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.
[Box/folder no. or item name], John G. and Corrine Tomlinson collection of Southern California photographs, postcards, and
memorabilia, Collection no. 7115, Regional History Collection, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern
California
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of John G. Tomlinson, Jr. and Corrine Tomlinson, May 10, 2021.
The collection is minimally processed. The majority of the description in this finding aid came from an appraisal document
prepared by Michael Dawson, who appraised the collection in 2019. The appraisal document is stored in the collection's accession
record, which is not accessible to the public.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Agriculture -- California, Southern -- Archival resources
California, Southern -- History -- Archival resources
California, Southern -- History -- Maps
California, Southern -- Photographs
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Social life and customs -- Photographs
Popular culture -- California, Southern -- History -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Postcards -- California, Southern -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Ephemera
Maps
Postcards
Promotional materials
Photographs
Photographic postcards
Tomlinson, Corrine -- Archives
Tomlinson, John G., Jr. -- Archives
Photographs /repositories/3/archival_objects/607915
The content of this note was taken from "Appraisal of A Collection of Photographs, Promotional Booklets and Postcards of Southern
California circa 1875-1950" by Michael Dawson. For a detailed inventory from Dawson's appraisal document, see subseries titled:
"[Inventory of photographs from collection appraisal]."
The 92 lots of photographs consisting of 241 individual prints produced by a variety of commercial photographers in Los Angeles
during the late 19th and early 20th century including Aerograph, J. B. Blanchard, Ellis & Son, W.H. Fletcher, Garden City
Foto Co. and C.B. Waite. Descriptions of these and other photographers can be found in
Photographers of Nineteenth Century Los Angeles County by Barbara Dye Callarman (1993) as well as their approximate dates of operation. Many of the photographs are mounted on card
stock with the photographer's name and business address. Often the subject or the location is also printed or found in pencil
on the verso of the mount. A smaller group is not identified by photographer but can be approximately dated by the medium
of the photographs, either albumen or gelatin silver, or by the dress, transportation or other data observed in the image.
Photographs of Los Angeles and Southern California from the late 19th and early 20th century are quite scarce. They are valued
by academics and private collectors searching for the visual and cultural history of the region. Consequently, there is a
market for these photographs among research institutions and individual collectors.
In order to determine Fair Market Value for Charitable Donation, the relevant market for the subject property was identified.
eBay and smaller auction houses such as Cowin's (Cincinnati) and Pacific Book Auction Galleries (PBA) (San Francisco) were
reviewed for comparable property. eBay was rejected due to the difficulty of determining if objects offered for sale were
copies or authentic. Cowin's and PBA were rejected due to the infrequent offering of comparable property and the difficulty
of tracking at auction. The Southern California photographs under review are not listed on any of the art market data bases
such as Artnet or Artprice nor are they found on rare book databases such as rarebookhub.com.
While far from common, these photographs are found in the rare book and ephemera market with some regularity. Dealers in photographs
of regional history include, Johnson Rare Books and Archives (Covina, CA), McBride Rare Books (New York) and Walkabout Books,
(Curtis, WA). Jen Johnson of Johnson Rare Books and Archives and Elizabeth Svendsen of Walkabout Books were contacted regarding
the subject property under review. Both noted that 19th and early 20th century photographs of Southern California by commercial
photographers are in demand in the rare books and ephemera market. At this moment the demand exceeds the supply for these
photographs both in the institutional and private collector market. The prices communicated to me by Johnson and Svendsen
conformed with my knowledge in this field. As a rare book dealer and photography specialist with Dawson's Book Shop (Los Angeles)
for over 30 years I have handled many photographs comparable to the subject property under review.
Noted collector, Phil Nathanson, was contacted regarding the subject property. Nathanson is a well-known collector of Southern
California historical photography and ephemera. He is a member of the Daguerreian Society and the author of several books
on 19th century Southern California photographers. Nathanson concurred with Johnson and Svendsen's sales history of Southern
California photographs while noting that he often finds photographs comparable to the subject property at regional paper and
post cards shows. Nathanson noted that rare book dealers like Johnson and Svendsen frequent these shows to purchase for their
inventory. Nathanson considers these regional shows to be primarily a wholesale market.
[Inventory of photographs from collection appraisal] /repositories/3/archival_objects/607936
The descriptive content in the records under this subseries was taken from "Appraisal of A Collection of Photographs, Promotional
Booklets and Postcards of Southern California circa 1875-1950" by Michael Dawson. The arrangement of the descriptive records
under this subseries does not reflect the physical arrangement of the photographs as they are currently stored. All of the
photographs described in this subseries are housed in Box nos. 8-12.
Box 8, Folder 1-3
Southern California photographs - mostly anonymous /repositories/3/archival_objects/607916
Box 8
People / Portraits - LA Photographers /repositories/3/archival_objects/607917
Box 9, Box 10, Box 11, Box 12
Photographs mounted on cardstock /repositories/3/archival_objects/607935
Oversize-folder 1
Panorama of Santa Fe Springs /repositories/3/archival_objects/609733 1926
Oversize-folder 1
Business Property Map of Los Angeles /repositories/3/archival_objects/609734 1913
Large map of downtown Los Angeles bounded by Figueroa Street on the west, Los Angeles Street on the east, Court Street on
the north and Washington Street on the south. The perspective of the map is an aerial view looking down on the city. The foreground
details the taller buildings many of which are identified by texts printed on the roof tops. The creator of the map used three-point
perspective in the foreground to create a sense of depth when viewing the taller buildings. The top portion of the map has
no building details or depth. The property lots are drawn for each block and lightly shaded in blue. The blue shading overlays
the whole map but is more prominent in the areas without much detail. Large block letters stating "Compliments of Robert Marsh
and Co." is outlined in large white letters in the lightly shaded top and middle section.
Postcards /repositories/3/archival_objects/607918
The donors of the collection organized the postcards into shoebox-sized boxes by subject. Each box of postcards has a subject
label on the outside of the box. These labels were transcribed as the record titles in this series. During processing, most
of the shoeboxes were rehoused in bankers boxes -- two shoeboxes per bankers box.
The content of this note was taken from "Appraisal of A Collection of Photographs, Promotional Booklets and Postcards of Southern
California circa 1875-1950" by Michael Dawson.
Collection includes approximately 5,250 Los Angeles/Southern California postcards published between 1880 and 1940. The postcards
are an important research collection of breadth and depth revealing the ways in which Los Angeles photographers made visual
the city and the broader Southern California region via the simple, inexpensive, and widely distributed little image: the
picture postcard.
Primary subject matter includes Los Angeles public buildings, commercial buildings, hotels, parks, domestic residences, street
scenes, churches and clubs. The collection also features images of the Southern California health scene including hospitals,
sanitaria, spas, and cemeteries. Cards depicting the Southern California citrus industry are included as well as images of
flowers, particularly the California Poppy. Southern California as a place of healthy outdoor adventures are depicted by scenes
of mountain hiking and living in the Sierra Madre/San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto mountains and their resorts;
many images of the Sierra Nevada especially after completion of the L.A. aqueduct are part of the collection. Beach scenes,
especially Catalina Island are also included. In addition, there are more than 125 images of California missions. While fewer
in number, the collection features an important group of minorities in Southern California, including depictions of African
American, Latino, Japanese, and Chinese communities. Postcards published by Michael Rieder, German by birth, are an important
subgenre in the collection.
The collection was developed between 1993 and 2010. I tried contacting the four dealers from whom most of the cards were purchased.
These include Ralph Bowman (Valley Center, CA), Ken Prag (San Francisco), Sherry Sonnette (Los Angeles) and Lee Brown (Sunland,
CA). There was not internet listing for several of the dealers and two others did not respond to email or phone calls. Most
of the cards were purchased at regional collectible shows featuring postcards, brochures, books and related ephemera.
Box 1
Los Angeles /repositories/3/archival_objects/607919
Box 2
Houses - Bungalows / Hollywood / 1950s Chrome /repositories/3/archival_objects/607920
Box 2
Los Angeles Hotels / Apartments / Oil / Greetings / Oranges / Fishing /repositories/3/archival_objects/607921
Box 3
Southern California Towns /repositories/3/archival_objects/607922
Box 3
San Fernando Valley / Pomona / Inland Empire / Riverside / Orange County / Mexico /repositories/3/archival_objects/607923
Box 4
Diverse People / 1932 Olympics / Airplanes / Beaches / Catalina / Desert Scenes /repositories/3/archival_objects/607924
Box 4
People - Southern California / Idyllwild / Poppies / Michael Rieder /repositories/3/archival_objects/607925
Box 5
Local Mountains / Mountain Resorts / Missions /repositories/3/archival_objects/607926
Box 5
Sierra Nevada / Owens Valley / Words and Maps / Flowers /repositories/3/archival_objects/607927
Box 6
Hospitals / Spas - Hot Springs /repositories/3/archival_objects/609774
Box 7
Sanitaria / Cemeteries / Los Angeles - Interiors /repositories/3/archival_objects/609775
Box 19
USC / USC Law Buildings /repositories/3/archival_objects/609776
Box 20
Schools and Colleges / Los Angeles - Buildings / Los Angeles - Parades /repositories/3/archival_objects/609777
Box 13, Box 14, Box 15, Box 16, Box 17, Box 18, Oversize-folder 1
Promotional literature /repositories/3/archival_objects/608029
Physical Description: All booklets are in very good condition unless noted. The publications range in size from range in size from 6.75 x 4.5 inches
to 11.5 x 9 inches with each publication containing 20 to 60 pages.
The content of this note was taken from "Appraisal of A Collection of Photographs, Promotional Booklets and Postcards of Southern
California circa 1875-1950" by Michael Dawson.
The 50 lots of Southern California promotional literature date from 1880 to 1938 with the majority printed before 1915. The
publications, with text and illustrations, promote popular tourist and scenic views from Santa Barbara to San Diego. The publications
were funded by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the Southern Pacific Railroad as well as publishers catering to the
growing tourist trade in Southern California beginning in the 1880s. These publications promoting climate, real estate and
investment opportunities in the region to residents of the Mid-West and Eastern United States were crucial to the enormous
growth in Southern California during the late 19th and early 20th century.
Publishers include Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Times-Mirror Printing, Los Angeles Morning Herald and the Los Angeles
Realty Board.
Many of the booklets are bound in soft cover, known in the rare book trade as wrappers, with color illustrations on the front
and back covers. Almost all have title pages listing place of publications, publisher and date. Most have numbered pages.
Many contain lithograph or half-tone illustrations.
The item-level list of promotional literature in the collection (see below) was also taken from Michael Dawson's appraisal
document.
- Avil, J. Howard. Los Angeles. The Queen City of the Angels. Los Angeles: M. Rieder, 1904. Unnumbered pages, 7.75 x 10 inches, wrappers, front cover detached.
- Brook, Harry Ellington. The Land of Sunshine Southern California. An Authentic Description of Its Natural Resources and Prospects. Los Angeles: World's Fair Association and Bureau of Information Print, 1893. 112 pages plus numerous leaves of illustrations, folding map, wrappers. Lummis, Charles (Editor). Land of Sunshine, Vol. 2, No. 5, April 1895. Lacks wrappers.
- De Longpre, Paul. Land of Heart's Desire Southern California. Los Angeles: Los Angeles Morning Herald, 1911. [122] pages, 8.75 x 13.5 inches, soft leather, chipped and worn at edges.
- Holder, Charles Frederick. An Isle of Summer, Santa Catalina Island. Los Angeles: Wilmington Transportation Co., [1895]. 14 pages with folding map, 9 x 6 inches, wrappers.
- Kelly, Allen. Historical Sketch of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Los Angeles: Times-Mirror Printing & Binding House, 1913. 37 pages plus unnumbered pages of illustrations from photographs, folding map, 6 x 8.5 inches, wrappers.
- [Los Angeles]. Official Program Souvenir. La Fiesta De Los Angeles. Los Angeles: R.W. Pridham and J. C. Cunningham, 1894. 80 pages, 5.75 x 9.5 inches, wrappers.
- [Los Angeles]. 1932 Olympic Map and Related Ephemera.
- [Los Angeles]. Bill of Fare. McCarthy's Family Dining Palace. Los Angeles: Burton-Taney Printing House, [circa 1880]. Single sheet printed on both sides measuring 8.5 x 11 inches.
- [Los Angeles]. Map of the City of Los Angeles. Los Angeles: Chamber of Commerce, 1907. Folding map in booklet.
- [Los Angeles]. Famous Southern California Scenes, 1900 and In and About Los Angeles, 1906. Two guidebooks in wrappers illustrated with reproductions from photographs.
- [Los Angeles]. Los Angeles. The Center of An Agricultural Empire. [1926]. Wrappers.
- [Los Angeles]. Staley's Views of Los Angeles, 1914-1915. San Francisco: Frank W. Staley, 1914. Unnumbered pages, 10 x 7.5 inches, stiff wrappers, front cover detached.
- Rotholtz, Benj. Wilson's Illustrated and Descriptive Souvenir and Guide To Los Angeles and Nearby Towns. Los Angeles: Wilson Publishing Co., [1900]. [160] pages, 6.75 x 4.5 inches, wrappers, some wear to wrappers, scotch tape repair at top and bottom of spine.
- [Southern California]. Southern California Illustrated. Los Angeles: Geo. Rice, [1883]. 64 pages, 11.5 x 9 inches, pictorial boards, boards worn and chipped at edges, some pages torn at edges, hinges cracked.
- [Southern California]. West Coast Bungalows… Los Angeles: E. W. Stillwell & Co. [circa 1915]. 64 pages, 6 x 9 inches, wrappers, pencil markings on front cover, tears and crude repair to spine. Contains blank page for sketches in front and order sheet at rear.
- [Southern California]. Festschrift des Deutsch-Amerikanischen Verbandes von Los Angeles. Los Angeles: Druck der Germania, 1914. Unnumbered pages, 10.75 x 8 inches.
- [Southern California]. Hills Official City Maps & Tourist Guide of Los Angeles, 1945.
- [Southern California]. Greater Los Angeles Free Guide to Los Angeles and Southern California, 1908,09. 96 pages, 5.5 x 3 inches.
- [Southern California]. Promotional Card and Ticket Book for Angel's Flight. Circa 1900.
- [Southern California]. Los Angeles Guide and Apartment House Directory & Hotel Greeters Guide. 1920 and 1939. 2 volumes.
- [Southern California]. Rainfall Chart of Los Angeles County, 1939.
- [Southern California]. Los Angeles Harbor Pictorial, circa 1937.
- [Southern California]. Single page brochure promoting commercial real estate in Southern California. Circa 1926.
- [Southern California]. The Samarkand, America's Only Persian Hotel. Promotional brochure for this Santa Barbara Hotel. Circa 1920.
- [Southern California]. Let's Go Deep Sea Fishing. Newport Beach: Port Orange Fishing Hole, circa 1940. Promotional brochure showing the various boats for charter.
- [Southern California]. Seeing California, 1905. Promotional booklet.
- [Southern California]. San Bernardino Mountain Resorts. Circa 1915. Folding brochure.
- [Southern California]. Idyllwild Among the Pines. Circa 1920. Folding brochure.
- [Southern California]. The Spark. A Southern California Magazine. Vol. 1, No. 1, 1908. The first issue of a magazine published by the Pacific Electric Company.
- [Southern California]. The Latest City Map of Los Angeles, CAL. Bekins Van and Storage, circa 1900.
- [Southern California]. See and Welcome Colonel Lindbergh to Los Angeles. Circa 1928. Small promotional poster promoting Lindbergh's visit in Los Angeles after his successful solo flight across the Atlantic.
- [Southern California]. Los Angeles California. Booklet measuring 7.75 x 9.75 inches, each page has a full page reproduction from photographs. Circa 1905.
- [Southern California]. Lot of 35 Booklets and Postcard Books Detailing Southern California. Circa 1920-1950.
- [Southern California]. Southern California. Los Angeles: M. Rieder, 1903. Unnumbered pages with full page reproductions from photographs, 8 x 10 inches, wrappers. 2 copies of same booklet.
- [Southern California]. Views of Southern California. Los Angeles: C. P. Charlton, 1904. Unnumbered pages with full page reproductions from photographs, 8 x 10 inches, wrappers. 2 copies of same booklet.
- [Southern California]. Gems of California Scenery. Los Angeles: S.W. Moore, 1895. Unnumbered pages with full page reproductions from photographs, 7 x 10 inches, wrappers.
- [Southern California]. Dominguez Seminary. Circa 1930. 32 pages, 8.75 x 6 inches, wrappers. History of the seminary in Compton, California.
- [Southern California]. Pottenger Santorium and Clinic for Diseases of the Chest. [Circa 1938]. Unnumbered pages, 6 x 9 inches, wrappers. Located in Monrovia.
- [Southern California]. Southern California. Comprising the Counties of Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura. N.p.: Southern California Panama Expositions Commission, 1915. 263 pages, 10.5 x 7.5 inches, wrappers.
- [Southern California]. Vistas In Southern California. Los Angeles: A.C. Bilicke and Co., 1893. 46 pages, 5.25 x 6.75 inches, wrappers.
- [Southern California]. Famous Southern California Scenes. Los Angeles: Baumgardt Publishing Co., 1903. Unnumbered pages with full page reproductions from photographs, 6 x 8.5 inches, wrappers
- [Southern California]. Southern California. An Authentic Description of its Natural Features, Resources, and Prospects… Los Angeles: Southern California Bureau of Information, 1892. 98 pages with folding map, 9 x 6 inches, wrappers.
- [Southern California]. Loma Linda California for Health and Pleasure. N.p. [circa 1910]. Unnumbered pages, 5 x 7 inches, wrappers.
- [Southern California]. Vistas de Los Angeles. Los Angeles: M. Rieder, [circa 1902]. Booklet measures 6 x 4 inches with single folding sheet containing reproductions from photographs. 2 publications of the same title with different photographs and layout.
- [Southern California]. Presented with the Compliments of the Members of Los Angeles Realty Board. N.p.: Los Angeles Realty Board, [1911]. 8 pages, 6.75 x 4.5 inches, wrappers. Lists all members of the Los Angeles Realty Board in 1911.
- [Southern California]. Souvenir of Los Angeles and Vicinity. Columbus: Ward Brothers, [1886]. 6 x 4.75 inches, single folding sheet with lithographic reproductions drawn from photographs. 7 copies.
- [Southern California]. Los Angeles and Vicinity. Los Angeles: Stoll and Thayer, [circa 1885]. 3 x 4.5 inches, single folding sheet with lithographic reproductions drawn from photographs.
- [Southern California]. Views of Los Angeles County. San Francisco: C.P. Heininger, [circa 1885]. 3 x 4.5 inches, single folding sheet with lithographic reproductions drawn from photographs.
- [Southern California]. Los Angeles and Vicinity. New York: Witteman Bros. 1885. 5.5 x 4.75 inches, single folding sheet with lithographic reproductions drawn from photographs.
- [Southern California]. Souvenir of Los Angeles and Vicinity. San Francisco: C.P. Heininger, [circa 1886]. 4.5 x 6 inches, single folding sheet with lithographic reproductions drawn from photographs.