Finding aid prepared by Sue Luftschein.
The Huntington Library
March 2006
1151 Oxford Road,
San Marino, CA
91108
Overview of the Collection
Repository:
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road,
San Marino, CA
91108
Creator:
Prudhomme, Charles J., 1854-1934.
Title: Historical Society of Southern California--Charles Prudhomme Collection of Photographs
Dates: 1870s-1933
Dates: (bulk 1923-1933)
Quantity: 3 boxes, 1.83 linear ft.
Abstract: The collection consists of 249 black and white photographs (some exist in duplicate), 235 negatives, and 1 blueprint that
depict sites primarily within Los Angeles and California, as well as people associated with the history of the Los Angeles
region.
Collection no: photCL 400 volume 4
Language of Material: English
Biographical/Historical Note
Charles J. Prudhomme (1854-1934) was born in Los Angeles, the son of Leon Victor Prudon (Prudhomme), a transplanted Frenchman,
and Mercedes Tapia, a native Californian. Prudhomme’s father played a role in early California history, participating in
the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846. Prudhomme was the historian for Ramona Parlor 109, Native Sons of the Golden West, and collected
historic relics related to California history.
The Prudhomme Collection comprises one portion of the Historical Society of Southern California (HSSC) Collection, which was
donated to the Huntington Library in 1992. The HSSC Collection as a whole contains approximately 15,000 photographs and negatives
covering the period circa 1870 to circa 1980, and almost exclusively depicts Southern California. As such, it is an important
visual record of the growth and history of the region.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of 249 black and white photographs (some exist in duplicate), 235 negatives, and 1 blueprint that
depict sites primarily within Los Angeles and California, as well as people associated with the history of the Los Angeles
region. Included are images of streets in Central Los Angeles including Olvera Street; Los Angeles parks and squares; adobes
and homes in the Los Angeles area; and photographs of members of pioneer families associated with the history of Los Angeles
and Southern California. These include Don Juan Bautista Alvarado, members of the Alvarado family, members of the Dominguez
family, Senora Luisa Avila de Garfias, Don Juan de la Guerra, members of the Lugo family, Senorita Josephine Ocampo, Eugene
R. Plummer and members of the Plummer family, Andrea Alvarado Rowland and Viola Rowland, members of the Sepulveda family,
members of the Tapia family, Francisco Viejar, and Maria Ybarra de Lopez.
Some images exist only in negative format; cards indicating this are interfiled within the collection of photographs. Negatives
are housed in Box 3.
The bulk of the photographs were taken by Charles J. Prudhomme.
Arrangement
The collection is generally arranged in subject order. The photographs in the first half of the collection are filed by geographic
location, with Los Angeles locations first, followed by Los Angeles environs, the remainder of the state, and out of state
locations. The second half of the collection consists of portraits; these are filed alphabetically.
Index Terms
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Organizations:
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel (San Gabriel, Calif.) -- Photographs
Persons:
Alvarado, Juan Bautista, 1809-1882--Portraits.
Avila de Garfias, Luisa--Portraits.
de la Guerra, Juan--Portraits.
Ocampo, Josephine--Portraits.
Plummer, Eugene R.--Portraits.
Rowland, Andrea Alvarado--Portraits.
Rowland, Viola--Portraits.
Viejar, Francisco--Portraits.
Ybarra de Lopez, Maria--Portraits.
Family Names:
Alvarado family -- Portraits.
Dominguez family -- Portraits.
Lugo family -- Portraits.
Plummer family -- Portraits.
Sepulveda family -- Portraits.
Tapia family -- Portraits.
Places:
Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Photographs
La Puente (Calif.) -- Photographs
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Photographs
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- History -- Portraits -- Photographs
Los Nietos (Calif. : Township) -- Photographs
Malibu (Calif.) -- Photographs
San Fernando Valley (Calif.) -- Photographs
Santa Monica Canyon (Los Angeles County, Calif.) -- Photographs
Watts (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Photographs
Subjects:
Adobe houses -- California -- Photographs
Historic sites -- California -- Los Angeles -- Photographs
Parks -- California -- Los Angeles -- Photographs
Streets -- California -- Los Angeles -- Photographs
Document Types:
Photographs.
Blueprints.
Negatives.
Restrictions on Access
Access is granted to qualified researchers and by appointment.
Publication Rights
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.
Preferred Citation
photCL 400 volume 4, Historical Society of Southern California – Charles Prudhomme Collection, 1870s-1933.
Acquisition Information
Donated to the Huntington Library by the Historical Society of Southern California, 1992.
Processing Information
The collection was organized, numbered and rehoused by Virginia Neely, August 1998; this finding aid was prepared by Sue Luftschein,
February-March 2006.
Physical Characteristics or Technical Requirements
Box 3, negatives, is housed in Munger Cold Storage. Permission to view negatives must be made with the Curator of Photographs.
Box 1, Item 1-85
Central Los Angeles. Commercial streets; Campo de Cahuenga; Chinatown/Sonoratown; Exposition Park; Fort Moore Hill; Hollywood;
Olvera Street; Pershing Square; the Plaza; Union Stock Yards; Los Angeles Zoo,
undated
Box 1, Item 86-121
Los Angeles environs. La Puente; Los Nietos; Malibu; Placerita Canyon; San Fernando Valley; San Gabriel Mission; Santa Monica
Canyon; Watts; Wilmington,
undated
Note
[Number 99 rehoused in Box 2 (oversize items).]
Box 1, Item 122-126
California. Carmel; Kern County; San Diego; Santa Barbara; Ventura,
undated
Box 1, Item 155-162
Out of California. Utah; Mexico,
undated
Box 1, Item 163-314
People. Members of Los Angeles and Southern California pioneer families,
undated
Note
[Numbers 163, 169, 188, 190, 191, 209, 230, 232, 235, 236, 245, 246, 251-254, 269, 277-279, 291, 295-298 rehoused in Box 2
(oversize items).]
