Fleckenstein (Louis) Pictorialist Photographs of California Missions, approximately 1920

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Summary

Title:
Pictorialist Photographs of California Missions by Louis Fleckenstein
Dates:
approximately 1920
Creators:
Fleckenstein, Louis, 1866-1943.
Abstract:
This disbound album contains 33 pictorial photographs of California mission ruins taken by photographer Louis Fleckenstein (1866-1943) around 1920; most notable are San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Bautista, San Luis Obispo, and San Fernando Rey. Also included are photographs of smaller missions and Catholic churches, such as San Antonio de Pala Asistencia, Church of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels, and the Royal Presidio Chapel.
Extent:
33 photographs in 1 box; prints 13 x 10 cm. (5 x 4 in.), album 18 x 25 cm. (7 1/4 x 10 in.)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Pictorialist Photographs of California Missions by Louis Fleckenstein, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This disbound album contains 33 pictorial photographs of California mission ruins taken by photographer Louis Fleckenstein around 1930, including Missions San Carlos Borromeo, San Francisco Solano, San Gabriel Arcangel, San Juan Capistrano, San Jose, La PurĆ­sima ConcepciĆ³n, San Luis Obispo, San Miguel Arcangel, Nuestra SeƱora de la Soledad, San Antonio de PĆ”dua, San Buenaventura, San Fernando Rey, San Francisco de AsĆ­s, San Juan Bautista, San Luis Rey, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, San Diego, and Santa InĆ©s. Churches and missions that are also shown are Plaza Church (also known as the Church of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels), the Royal Presidio Chapel (also known as San Carlos Cathedral), and San Antonio de Pala Asistencia.

Item titles transcribed from penciled captions below photographs.

Biographical / historical:

Louis Fleckenstein was born in 1866 in Faribault, Minnesota, and began a career as a painter. He began to delve into photography when his wife gave him a camera in 1895. Over time, Fleckenstein became involved in pictorial photography, focusing on the beauty of subject matter over reality. He founded the Salon Club of America in 1903, and was appointed Director. In 1907, Fleckenstein moved to Los Angeles, California, and opened a portrait studio there. Seven years later, he founded the Camera Pictorialists of Los Angeles. Around 1920, he photographed the California missions, seeing them as good subjects in their ruined state for atmospheric prints; his photographs helped fuel the publicā€™s interest in the missionsā€™ romantic image. Fleckenstein moved to Long Beach in 1924, where he continued to work with pictorial photography until his death in 1943.

Acquisition information:
Partial gift from Jonathan Stein and partial purchase from Paul Kopeikin in August 1998.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Michelle Sanchez and updated by Diann Benti.
Date Prepared:
Ā© 2013
Date Encoded:
Machine readable finding aid encoded by Diann Benti in May 2014 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Pictorialist Photographs of California Missions by Louis Fleckenstein, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2129
reference@huntington.org
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