Historical Society of Southern California -- Charles Prudhomme Collection of Photographs, 1870s-1933, bulk 1923-1933

Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Title:
Historical Society of Southern California -- Charles Prudhomme Collection of Photographs
Dates:
1870s-1933, bulk 1923-1933
Creators:
Prudhomme, Charles J., 1854-1934.
Abstract:
The collection consists of photographs, negatives, and a blueprint dating from the 1870s to 1933 (bulk 1923-1933) primarily related to the history of the Los Angeles and the Southern California region, that were compiled by Los Angeles historian Charles J. Prudhomme (1854-1934). The images mainly depict sites within Los Angeles and California, as well as people associated with the history of the Los Angeles region.
Extent:
3 boxes (1.83 linear feet)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

Historical Society of Southern California -- Charles Prudhomme Collection of Photographs. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of 249 black-and white-photographs (some exist in duplicate), 235 negatives, and 1 blueprint, dating from the 1870s to 1933 (bulk 1923-1933), that are primarily related to the history of the Los Angeles and the Southern California region. The collection was compiled by Los Angeles historian Charles J. Prudhomme, and Prudhomme took the bulk of the photographs.

The images mainly depict sites 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.

Biographical / historical:

Charles J. Prudhomme (1854-1934) was born in Los Angeles, California, 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. Prudhomme died on September 24, 1934.

Founded in 1883, the Historical Society of Southern California (HSSC) is the oldest historical society in California. As part of its mission to collect and preserve Southern California’s history, the HSSC amassed a photo archive over many decades. The HSSC shifted its emphasis to programs and publications in the 1980s and, in 1992, the organization donated its photo archive to The Huntington Library.

The Historical Society of Southern California Collection contains approximately 15,000 photographs and negatives focused on Southern California from approximately 1870 to 1980. As such, it is an important visual record of the growth and history of the region. The collection represents a variety of donations made to the Society over many years. It is organized into discrete sub-collections (each with a unique “volume” number) within the overall collection, which is identified by call number photCL 400.

Acquisition information:

Donated to the Huntington Library by the Historical Society of Southern California, 1992.

The collection, identified by Huntington Library catalogers as "Volume 4," was received as a part of the Historical Society of Southern California Collection.

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.

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.

Physical / technical requirements:

Box 3, negatives, is housed in Cold Storage. Permission to view negatives must be made with the Curator of Photographs.

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Sue Luftschein.
Date Prepared:
© March 2006
Date Encoded:
Machine readable finding aid encoded by Sue Luftschein on June 06, 2006 and updated by Diann Benti in May 2014 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Advance arrangements to view negatives must be made with the Curator of Photographs. The collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, please visit the Huntington's website: www.huntington.org.

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:

Historical Society of Southern California -- Charles Prudhomme Collection of Photographs. 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
Website