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Los Angeles Railway Corporation Collection of Photographs
photCL 58
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Repository:
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road,
San Marino, CA
91108
Phone: 626-405-2180
Email: jwatts@huntington.org
Creator:
Lewis, Edwin L.
Title: Los Angeles Railway Corporation Collection of Photographs
Dates: 1851-1939
Quantity: 27 boxes, 22 linear feet
Abstract: The collection consists of 1164 black and white photographs, 97 glass negatives, clippings, correspondence, manuscripts, notes,
a card file, and a ledger book related to the Los Angeles Railway, 1851-1939, collected and created by Edwin L. Lewis. The
collection provides a broad pictorial overview of the development of the railway systems in Los Angeles in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, as well as information on the physical development of the city itself.
Collection no: photCL 58
Language of Material: English
The Los Angeles Railway Corporation (LARy) was the product of mergers and consolidations of numerous local and interurban
railways in Los Angeles and adjacent communities. In 1910, Henry E. Huntington yielded his interests in the Pacific Electric
Company to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, which subsequently controlled the interurban lines, and he incorporated
the Los Angeles Railway Company and other railway interests to form the Los Angeles Railway Corporation, which operated the
Los Angeles city lines.
This collection was compiled by Edwin L. Lewis, who began working for the Los Angeles Cable Railway Company in 1888. Lewis
became vice-president and manager of the Los Angeles Land Company and manager of the Los Angeles Railway Building in 1921.
He retired in 1939. Lewis collected the material as background information for his proposed book on the railway systems of
Los Angeles. The two volume history was never published, but exists in manuscript form and is housed in the Huntington's
Manuscript Department.
The collection consists of 1164 black and white photographs, 97 glass negatives, clippings, correspondence, manuscripts, notes,
a card file, and a ledger book related to the Los Angeles Railway, 1851-1939, collected and created by Edwin L. Lewis. The
collection provides a broad pictorial overview of the development of the railway systems in Los Angeles in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries, as well as information on the physical development of the city itself.
The photographs and related clippings and correspondence depict and describe views of Los Angeles, primarily downtown, but
also some of the neighborhoods that grew as a result of the construction of the street car system; methods and modes of transportation
and transportation-related subjects, primarily with regard to the Los Angeles Railway; and individuals, including employees
of the Railway and of the Los Angeles business community, and individuals who were in some way connected with the development
of the railroad in Southern California. The collection is particularly strong in city scenes and panoramic views, primarily
of downtown Los Angeles. These include “then and now” comparisons of various Los Angeles neighborhoods; business districts;
hotels; city halls; school buildings; commercial and industrial buildings; post office buildings; churches; hospitals; holiday
celebrations; and outlying areas (such as Catalina Island and San Diego). The transportation images include, but are not
limited to, views of the railway; railway, street and cable cars; stations and station locations; and maps of rail lines.
Also included are images of bicycles, carriages, and automobiles.
The material related to individuals consists of biographical files and includes biographical sketches, notes on interviews
conducted by Lewis, and/or correspondence, and describes LARy and other railroad employees, individuals who worked in industries
connected with transportation, and business leaders in Southern California. The interviews are essentially oral histories,
and provide a great deal of information on the development of both the railways in Los Angeles and the development of the
city itself. The photographs included in the biographical files are portraits.
The majority of the photographs are annotated on the reverse with location information, a short description, and/or identification
of individuals. Some images include annotations on the front. Many of the photographs have clippings taped to the reverse.
Some of the photographs exist in duplicate form; however, many of the duplicates are annotated with information not found
on the original copy. Some photographs are missing.
The original arrangement of the collection is numerical (see Container List below), based on Lewis's numbering scheme. Each
photograph is inscribed with a number that corresponds to the numbers in Lewis’s original ledger (located in box 21). The
collection remains in numerical order, and is described at the folder level. Lewis also created a card file (box 27) arranged
by subject, which was used to describe and access specific photographs. Item-level access is available through this card
file in consultation with the Curator of Photographs. Every attempt has been made to be as inclusive as possible in the description
of the folder contents; however, some folders contain images that span two or more subjects.
In addition to photographs, each folder may contain correspondence, clippings and/or notes, and their presence is noted.
The biographical files contain primarily textual materials; if photographs are present, they are noted.
The collection has also been intellectually described in four broad subject areas at the end of the Container List: Views
of Los Angeles and vicinity; Transportation; Individuals; and Miscellaneous. Within the Views of Los Angeles, Transportation,
and Miscellaneous subject areas, the arrangement is numerical. The individuals are listed alphabetically.
The majority of the clippings and printed materials included with the photographs are preservation photocopies.
See also Los Angeles Railway Corporation Collection, Manuscripts Department, The Huntington Library.
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Beaudry, Prudent, d. 1893
Bicknell, John D., d. 1911
Child, Ozra W.
Clark, Eli P., 1847-1931
Crank, James Fillmore, d. 1935
Downey, John Gately, ca. 1827-1894
Eaton, Frederick, 1855-1934
Garland, William May, b. 1866
Griffith, Griffith Jenkins, Colonel, 1850-1919
Harriman, Edward Henry, 1848-1909
Haynes, John Randolph, b. 1853
Hellman, Isaias W. (Isaias William), 1842-1920
Hollenbeck, John Edward, 1829-1885
Howland, Charles H., d. 1894
Huntington, Henry Edwards, 1850-1927
Huntington, Howard.
Kuhrts, George J., 1869-1932
Mellus, James J., d. 1935
Pontius, David W.
Randolph, Epes.
Robinson, Henry Mauris, 1868-1937
Sachse, Richard, b. 1881
Sherman, Moses H., General, 1853-1932
Weid, Ivar, 1837-1903
Weid, Otto, d. 1934
Widney, R. M. (Robert Maclay), 1838-1929
Workman, Boyle, b. 1868
Workman, Elijah H., 1835-1906
Workman, William H., d. 1918
Los Angeles Railway
Pacific Electric Railway Company
Business districts -- California -- Los Angeles
Cable cars (Streetcars)
Cityscapes -- California
Church buildings -- California -- Los Angeles
Commercial buildings -- California -- Los Angeles
High Schools -- California -- Los Angeles
Hotels -- California
Panoramas -- California -- Los Angeles
Railroad bridges
Railroad stations -- California -- Los Angeles
Railroads -- California
Railroads -- Photographs
Street-railroads -- Buildings and structures
Street-railroads -- California -- Los Angeles
Street-railroads -- Employees
Street-railroads -- California -- Los Angeles -- Employees -- Biography
Street-railroads -- Design and construction
Street-railroads -- Maintenance and repair
Vehicles -- California -- Los Angeles
Photographs.
Correspondence.
Clippings.
Notes.
Ledgers.
Manuscripts.
Card files.
Negatives.
Access is granted to qualified researchers and by appointment.
Some of the information on individuals contains restricted information. Please contact the Curator of Photographs to arrange
access to these files.
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.
phot CL 58, Los Angeles Railway Corporation Photographs, 1851-1939.
Donated to the Huntington Library by Edwin L. Lewis, June 1939. The collection includes a number of manuscripts and scrapbooks,
which are in the custody of the Manuscripts Department.
The collection was rehoused in 2005 by Jessica Gambling, which included sleeving all photographs and preservation photocopying
clippings. Duplicate photographs (some are contemporary to the collection, others are copy photographs) have new numbers
based on the existing system (e.g., 75a, 75b, 75c, etc.). Original clippings are in boxes 21 and 22; preservation photocopies
of these clippings have been inserted into the original locations within the collection. This finding aid was created in January
2006 by Sue Luftschein.