Sources of Inquiry

Case 13: Photographs

Photographs are still images formed on light-sensitive surfaces, whether pieces of glass, sheets of metal, photographic film, or electronic media. Early photographic processes developed in the 19th century were both expensive and time consuming, requiring bulky equipment that was difficult to move. As a result, many early photographs are formal, posed portraits taken in studios. In the 20th century, photography became a vital and familiar part of life as amateur photographers with home cameras snapped shots of family vacations, significant personal achievements, and important national and international events.

Photos memorialize the achievements of individuals and communities, furnish evidence of past circumstances, document significant events, and serve as a means of visual expression. As a language-neutral form of communication that provides a uniquely observable record of the past, photos are generally taken by those motivated by a desire to record reality. Indeed, photograph viewers often have the impression of having seen a photo's contents firsthand despite not having been present when the image was taken.

Photos on display in the case are from the 19th and 20th centuries, and were taken using numerous photographic technologies. From the 19th century are glass plates, tintypes, albumen prints, and cyanotypes. They depict William Mulholland's children, Civil War soldiers, a young girl, and a house in Oakland. From the 20th century are photos that provide evidence of poverty-stricken laborers during the Great Depression, that provide proof of Adolf Hitler's popularity in Los Angeles in the 1930s, and that capture events of personal significance. Other photographs were used as evidence in the criminal trial of the first woman sentenced to death in the state of California, illuminate the history of American activism, or document the wreckage caused by natural disasters.

Case 14, Newspapers, is to your right on the south wall of the gallery.

• 1

  Northridge earthquake damage and CSUN command center images, 1994University Archives Photograph Collection

• 2

  Wedding of James Edward McAlister and Carolyn Jones in Los Angeles, January 12, 1974Brad Pye Jr. Campaign Collection

• 3

  Polaroid print featuring attendees at an American Guitar Society event, circa 1985Vahdah Olcott-Bickford Collection

• 4

  Convicted murderer Nellie May Madison as she arrives at the California Institution for Women in Tehachapi, California, and her victim, Eric Madison, 1934.Agness M. Underwood Collection

• 5

  Depression-era photographs of a man and two young children, circa 1930sMax Mont Collection

• 6

  Cyanotype photograph of home in Oakland, California, circa 1887Catherine Mulholland Collection

• 7

  Albumen print Carte de Visite of John W. Barney, Sergeant Major, 1st Delaware Volunteers, 1863Nineteenth Century Photograph Collection

• 8

  Glass plate studio portrait of William and Lillie Mulholland's children, circa 1895Catherine Mulholland Collection

• 9

  Tintypes, studio portrait of a young woman and Civil War soldier holding an American Flag, circa 1861-1864Nineteenth Century Photograph Collection and John M. Sell Civil War Collection

• 10

  Adolph Hitler birthday celebration in Los Angeles at 634 West 15th Street, 1935Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, Community Relations Committee Collection, Part 2

• 11

  March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation, April 25, 1993Aristide J. Laurent Collection

• 12

  North Point crew pose in front of the Elizabeth Tunnel at Johnsville, California, circa 1908Catherine Mulholland Collection