Tag Archives: Aerial photographs
A forest of oil derricks sprouts up on the Signal Hill oil field, Long Beach, California, 1937
In yesterday’s photo of Vine St in 1960, I commented that I could almost hear the sounds and inhale the smells. This photo similar, but not in quite the same way. In this aerial photo, we’re seeing the forest of … Continue reading
Aerial photo of the mammoth outdoor set for “The Thief of Bagdad” at the Pickford-Fairbanks studios, south of Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, 1923
In order to film “The Thief of Bagdad” Douglas Fairbanks bought several acres of land behind the Pickford-Fairbanks Studios south of Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood, which he co-owned with his wife, Mary Pickford. They needed that land for … Continue reading
Aerial photograph looking west along Wilshire Blvd from Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles, circa 1930
In this rather striking aerial we’re photo, looking west along Wilshire Blvd from Sycamore Ave. It was taken around 1930 when a good proportion of the land north and south of Wilshire was still undeveloped. In the top right hand … Continue reading
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Tagged Aerial photographs, La Brea tar pits, Oil, Park La Brea, Wilshire Blvd
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Aerial view of the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California, 1929
In my view, the Hollywood Bowl is fairly spectacular no matter which angle you shoot it from, no matter the time of day, no matter the season. But aerial shots of the place really do show how spectacular it is. … Continue reading
Aerial photo looking northwest across Beverly Hills, California, 1922
What a different 102 years makes. In this 1922 aerial photo, we’re looking northwest across Beverly Hills toward the Hollywood Hills. These days, of course, every square inch of all that empty land is filled in with manicured lawns, outsized … Continue reading
Aerial photo taken from a balloon looking north between Main St and Los Angeles St towards the plaza, downtown Los Angeles, 1850
**UPDATE** THIS IS ACTUALLY A PHOTO OF A MODEL OF WHAT 1850 LOS ANGELES WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE. (Scroll down for further info.) After posting a daily vintage photo of Hollywood/Los Angeles/Southern California for more than 10 years, I suspect … Continue reading
Aerial photograph of the part of Marina Del Ray known as Silver Strand, Los Angeles, February 4, 1959
Until I came across this aerial photo of Marina Del Ray, I’d never heard of a development called Silver Strand, which is what we are looking at here. It’s only 10 blocks long and 2 blocks wide, and stretches from … Continue reading
Aerial photograph looking west across Los Angeles International Airport from a circular Chevron gas station, 1963
What was formerly known as the Mines Field municipal airfield underwent a name change in 1941 to Los Angeles Airport, and then in 1949, it acquired the name we know today: to Los Angeles International Airport, aka LAX. In this … Continue reading
Aerial photo of Dodger Stadium under construction, Vin Scully Ave, Los Angeles, circa 1960
I’m no sports fan, but even I know that the LA Dodgers won the first game of the 2024 World Series at Dodger Stadium on Friday. Here we have an aerial photo of that stadium under construction. The project broke … Continue reading
Aerial photograph of the Disneyland parking lot, Anaheim, California, 1963
And from the “I Wish It Was Still Like This” file comes this 1963 aerial photograph of Disneyland and its parking lot. My first visit was in 1975, and I’m pretty sure it was like this. You drove up to … Continue reading
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Tagged Aerial photographs, Anaheim, Disney, Disneyland, Themeparks
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