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When I Think of Home: Images from L.A. Archives Main Menu Introduction The greater Los Angeles area is on the traditional lands of the Gabrielino/Tongva, Chumash, Fernandeño Tataviam and Yuhaaviatam/Maarenga’yam (Serrano) peoples. We acknowledge their presence here since time immemorial and recognize their continuing connection to the land, to the water and to their ancestors. Migration to Los Angeles in Pursuit of Health and Happiness The Community and Cultural Enclaves of L.A. Los Angeles Architecture and Landscapes Historic Home Museums Contributors Chronology Mapping the Exhibit Acknowledgements When I Think of Home: Images from L.A. Archives is the first digital History Keepers exhibit produced for the annual Archives Bazaar and would not have been possible without the collaboration of LAAS members and Archive Bazaar Exhibit subcommittee members.

L.A. Firsts

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Los Angeles is home to countless artists, innovators, and trailblazers. Our climate and geography, cultural and ethnic communities, business opportunities and history attract an incredible diversity of people who have fostered a spirit of innovation for generations of Angelenos. The most visible expression of our unique environment and creativity is the entertainment industry, represented in this exhibit with a few perspectives from filmmakers and film workers. But LA is also a source of innovation in many other areas, as we see here. The first freeway in the western United States opened in Pasadena in 1940. Walt Disney conceptualized the idea of a theme park and Disneyland was the first of its kind when it opened in 1955. Researchers at Caltech, UCLA and other renowned universities have been making advances in the sciences for decades. And advocates from historically underrepresented communities have led the way in making change and giving voice to those previously unseen and unheard. The LA region has been, and continues to be, a haven for news ideas and radical thinking that impact the world. The people you will meet and the milestones represented in the following images showcase the unique spirit of Angelenos and all the creativity and ingenuity we have to offer.

LA As Subject is the first consortium of its kind in the United States. Please visit this exhibit to learn more about the work of LA As Subject, the annual Archives Bazaar, and how archivists work to preserve and share regional history.

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Introduction Alejandra Gaeta
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An Excerpt From the Visual History with John Singleton (1968-2019)
Highlights from the Academy Visual History Program: Oral Histories with Filmmakers This short reel provides a highlight overview of the Academy Visual History Program, which has recorded over 225 long-form visual histories in 9 countries and 11 languages. As the ecosystem in which we make and share films becomes increasingly multi-regional and international, the Academy Foundation and Film Archive seeks to document those shifts by including voices which are essential to a more global appreciation of cinema history.
SOUL Newspaper
Research photographs of Boyle Heights taken by location scout Rony Shinoin for REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (2002) REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (2002), directed by Patricia Cardoso, is celebrated for its nuanced portrayal of a working-class Mexican American family. Starring America Ferrera in her feature film debut, it is an unprecedented exploration of gender politics and the immigrant experience. These photographs, along with other production materials donated by Patricia Cardoso, will be on display at the 2021 opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California.
Fat Liberation Manifesto, 1973 The Fat Liberation Manifesto expressed the values of the first feminist Fat Liberation organization, the Fat Underground. Formed in 1973 by radical therapists Judy Freespirit and Sara Golda Bracha Fishman, it took a revolutionary stance against the harmful practices of the diet industry and doctors. As Freespirit wrote, "In the beginning, people giggled when we talked about Fat Liberation. Now . . . there are hundreds of thousands of fat activists and allies."
Founding Celebration II: Del Martinez and Lauren Jardine, 1987 Connexxus was one of the first Los Angeles based non-profit organizations ran by and for women, particularly lesbians. Del Martinez and Lauren Jardine, shown here, opened Connexxus in January of 1985 on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. The thriving center included a library, coffee house, and meeting spaces and services like workshops and counseling. In 1986, it opened Connexxus East / Centro de Mujeres and reached out to Latina lesbians specifically.
A Chance to Make History, Jackie Goldberg Flyer, 1993
Untitled [3] July, 1978, Los Angeles Little Tokyo: As dancers go through their routine, a crew of cinematographers shoot a scene recreating the 1935 Nisei Week Grand Parade and ondo as part of Visual Communications' feature-length narrative HITO HATA: RAISE THE BANNER. Capturing the spirit and energy of the Nisei Week Japanese Festival required the participation of nearly 200 performers and extras, as well as the unprecedented good-will of Little Tokyo merchants who were notorious for refusing to allow film crews to close down the streets of Little Tokyo for Hollywood movie productions.
Movie Replica of Japanese Submarine
The Writer Speaks: Robert Towne
Disneyland Opening
Pasadena Cycleway looking north from the Raymond Hotel, 1900 Horace Dobbins dreamed of building the first ever elevated cycleway from Pasadena to Los Angeles. The construction began in 1899 and the first phase was completed and just under 1.5 miles of cycle pathway from Hotel Green was open to the public on January 1st, 1900. Unfortunately, the next phase of construction of this cycleway never took place. This photograph shows a view looking north from Raymond Hotel. Tracks in foreground are Santa Fe Rail Road. Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena is on left side.
Dedication of the Arroyo Seco Parkway
Tarzana: Home of Tarzan
Governor Knight at Freeway Opening Freeways are a staple of the landscape of Los Angeles County. In this image from 1954, Goodwin Knight (1896-1970), the 31st Governor of California who served from 1953-1959, cuts a ribbon at the opening of the Los Angeles River Freeway State Route 15. Today this freeway is known as the Long Beach Freeway/Interstate 710. This photograph was taken by Joseph Risinger, a photographer for the Long Beach Press Telegram.
House of lightning Entrance to Caltech’s High Voltage Research Laboratory, the first facility to produce million-volt discharges. It was home to groundbreaking research that helped "make" Caltech, including technological innovations for Southern California Edison, the transmutation of elements, neutron-beam generation, and radiation therapy. Lee Lawrie sculpted the dramatic art-deco frieze (1923) on Bertram Goodhue’s façade, depicting two men pulling a cable to create a powerful burst. The frieze was demolished in 1959 when the building was repurposed.
Charles Richter with seismometer that he kept in the living room of his home, ca. 1963 Many of us take our work home, but for Caltech seismologist Charles F. Richter (1900-1985) that meant keeping a full-sized seismograph in his living room, where he fielded earthquake queries at any time. Richter quipped that the instrument was a great conversation starter for his guests. In the 1930s Richter in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg had developed the eponymous earthquake magnitude scale, the first to characterize the absolute energy of shaking rather than structural damage.
Dr. Richard P. Feynman, Physicist and Nobel Laureate. ©2020.SHELLEYGAZIN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ©2020.SHELLEYGAZIN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Professor Richard P. Feynman, Nobel Prize-winning physicist, who resided in Pasadena and taught at CalTech during the last years of his life. He discovered the reason for the Space Shuttle tragedy in 1986 and was featured in a cover story in the L.A. Times in which he was portrayed in his office and home studio. He is a cult hero, author and creative genius.
Dean Martin with his wife Jeanne Martin at home, July 8, 1955.
Clara Bow at home, ca. 1928.

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Dedication of the Arroyo Seco Parkway