This collection of William H. Fletcher card (cartes-de-visite) photographs focus mainly on Los Angeles during a period of industrial expansion and population growth, with special attention on Los Angeles Street (which passes through Downtown Los Angeles) and what is now the Historic Core and Civic Center districts. There are also town and nature views of Pasadena, Santa Monica, Ventura, Redondo Beach, and Burbank. Images of Missions San Fernando Rey, San Luis Rey, and San Juan Capistrano are also included.

William H. Fletcher was born in Hollis, New Hampshire in 1838 before his family moved to Lyndon, Vermont that same year. He learnt photography while working in the pharmaceutical and jewelry industries. Fletcher moved to Los Angles in 1885, thinking to establish himself as a druggist; however, an overabundance of pharmacies obliged him to turn to photography. Fletcher went into commercial photography but did not establish a formal studio or gallery of his own. The subjects of his photographs focused on Los Angeles just when it began to expand with immigrants and new businesses. He also traveled through the areas surrounding Los Angeles, photographing scenes from San Pedro, Santa Monica, Redondo Beach, Pasadena, and Ventura, aiming to tempt New Englanders to vacation out west. Many of Fletcher’s photographs were sold as card photographs to curio dealers to sell to tourists. Sometime after 1900, Fletcher retired from professional photography and went into the oil business; he died in 1922.

25 card photographs; prints 12.5 x 19.5 cm (5 x 7.5 in.)

All requests for permission to publish photographs must be submitted in writing to the Curator of Photographs. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Huntington 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.