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When I Think of Home: Images from L.A. Archives

L.A. Firsts

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.

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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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.

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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.