Carroll and Lorrin Morrison Photographic Collection

THE THOMAS AND DOROTHY LEAVEY CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF LOS ANGELES RESEARCH COLLECTION

CARROLL AND LORRIN MORRISON PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION, 1889-1964 (CSLA-26)

COLLECTION TITLE AND NUMBER: Carroll and Lorrin Morrison Photographic Collection, 1889-1964. CSLA-26
ACCESSION NUMBER: 2002.83; gift of Carroll Morrison
COLLECTION SIZE: 7 archival document boxes, 1 oversize box
PROCESSING HISTORY: Processed by Susan Jones; collection guide written by Susan Jones; edited by Clay Stalls, Department of Archives and Special Collections
RESEARCH ACCESS: To consult the collection on-site, please call Loyola Marymount University's Department of Archives and Special Collections at 310-338-2780 or 310-338-7478. The Research Collection is a program of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles.

The Carroll and Lorrin Morrison Photographic Collection, 1889-1964, consists of materials, primarily photographs, collected by the Morrisons during their tenure as editors of the Journal of the West. Its size is approximately 5 linear feet. In 2002 Carroll Morrison donated these materials to the CSLA Research Collection, with Father Mike Engh, S.J., serving as intermediary. The photographs of this collection illustrate Los Angeles history from the late nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century. The Morrisons acquired the photographs from many sources, most likely for use in articles published in their journal. These sources include the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, the University of Southern California, the Huntington Library, the Historical Society of Southern California, the California Historical Society, and many others. In short, many of these photographs are reproductions of originals held by other institutions. The photographs in this collection are made available to researchers for reference only. No reproductions will be made. It is the responsibility of researchers who desire reproductions to contact the holding institution.

The subject matter of the photographs includes historic sites of Los Angeles, early Southern California families such as the Pico, Avila and Machado families, Southern California architecture, particularly of the 1920s, Los Angeles industry and factory life of the early twentieth century, and industrial parks of the middle twentieth century.

The collection has been divided into four separate series, based either on the original order of the materials (when discernible) or subject matter of photographs. Note that many photographs are reproductions of photographs from the mid to late nineteenth century, originally from such collections as the the Security Pacific Bank Collection, now in possession of the Los Angeles Public Library. The date of the reproduction usually cannot be determined, so the date provided is that depicted in the subject of the original photograph. Numerous photographs include an accompanying descriptive caption, either inscribed on the backside of the photograph or typed on a separate sheet. In such cases, the caption has been repeated in this guide, enclosed in quotation marks. Where no caption exists, a general description of the photograph has been provided.

To view the description for each series in this collection, select the series number and title below:

Series 1: Los Angeles Historical Photographs
Series 2: Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Photographs
Series 3: Southern California Families Photographs
Series 4: Frank A. Schilling Photographs

For other collections that the Morrisons donated to the Research Collection, see CSLA-22: Documents for the History of Nineteenth-Century Los Angeles and CSLA-25: WPA Transcriptions and Translations of Los Angeles City Archives Records

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series 1: Los Angeles Historical Photographs back to top
Dates: 1924-1964
Size: 2 archival document boxes
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)

This series is comprised of approximately 80 photographs of late nineteenth and twentieth century Los Angeles, as well as several press releases dated 1964, that depict well-known Los Angeles sites such as the Music Center and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena around the time of their opening. Of particular interest in this series are photographs of nineteenth century illustrations of downtown Los Angeles, Chinatown, the Plaza, the Courthouse, the Los Angeles Cable Railway, and portraits of Pio Pico (1801-1894), last Governor of Mexican California, Stephen White, and Caytano Buellna, the last driver of the Butterfield Stage. This series also contains twentieth-century photographs of Our Lady Queen of Angels, Olvera Street, the Los Angeles Mission, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena and the Music Center.

The photographs that comprise this series have been collected from a number of sources, including the Behrendt Collection at the Los Angeles County Museum Library, the Title Insurance and Trust Company Collection at the University of Southern California, the Huntington Library and Art Gallery, and the Southern California Historical Society. Again, please note that the Research Collection does not hold the copyright to the photographs in this collection.

Series 2: Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Photographs back to top
Dates: c. 1920s-1940s
Size: 3 archival document boxes, 1 oversize folder
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)

This series is comprised of approximately 175 photographs, which were acquired by Carroll and Lorrin Morrison from the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. The photographs in this series depict subjects from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and serve to illustrate both residential and business life in Los Angeles during this period. Included here are photographs of factories such as the Sperry Flour Company, Los Angeles Soap Company, Llewellyn Iron Works, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, Hammond Lumber Company, U.S. Motors, the Westinghouse plant, and several furniture manufacturer showrooms. Additionally, this series contains a large number of photographs of residential homes built in Los Angeles and throughout the surrounding areas, including Pasadena, Glendale, Walnut Park, Alhambra, and Altadena. This combination of photographs, documenting both industrial sites and residences, including numerous photographs of Los Angeles bungalows of the 1920s, makes this series an excellent source for the study of Los Angeles architectural history. Portraits of John C. Fremont (1813-1890), explorer, William Godfrey, the first California photographer, and John Steven McGroarty (1862-1944), journalist and author, can also be found in this series.

Series 3: Southern California Families Photographs back to top
Dates: 1889-1953
Size: 1 archival document box, 2 oversize folders
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)

The materials in this series include newspaper clippings, photographs, and family histories concerning the prominent Los Angeles families of Avila, Machado and Pico. Also included in this series is an essay entitled "The Early History of Southern California" written by William Lauren Rhoades; a prayer card belonging to Romulo Pico; a funeral notice of Maria Ignacio Alvarado de Pico; and a "Map of City of Los Angeles" by H. J. Stevenson. The materials in this series have been arranged according to the family to which they pertain.

Series 4: Frank A. Schilling Photographs back to top
Dates: c. 1920-1953
Size: 1 archival document box, 2 oversize folders
(To view the box and folder list indexing the arrangement of this series' contents in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)

This series is comprised of approximately 68 photographs of Los Angeles city schools, homes and businesses built by Frank A. Schilling in the 1920s and 1930s. These buildings include the Dominguez Memorial Seminary in Compton, the First Church of Christ in Fillmore, the Bath House in Pacific Palisades, San Pascual School in South Pasadena, and Carl Horn's School of Dance. Also included in this series are photographs of the 1950s construction of the Los Angeles International Airport Industrial Tract, which Schilling also built. A blueprint of this industrial tract and an article regarding the development of the land adjoining this tract, written by Schilling, are included in this series as well.