Tag Archives: Los Angeles
Passengers board the “Balloon Route” tourist streetcar at Hermosa Beach, California, 1906
The Los Angeles Pacific Company’s “Balloon Route” was a streetcar ride that started in downtown Los Angeles and took passengers on a scenic trip around L.A. It was marketed as being for tourists, but in reality was an extended advertisement … Continue reading
Double-decker bus number 610 from the Los Angeles Motor Bus Company, circa 1920s
Double-decker buses are something I associate with London rather than Los Angeles, but in the earlier part of the 20th century, double-deckers with an open-air top deck were quite a common sight around LA. I don’t know what was going … Continue reading
Looking west from the eastern end of Santa Monica Blvd with Mount Lee in the background, Los Angeles, 1914
With so few landmarks to go by, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where this 1914 photo was taken, but it we do know that it’s looking west from somewhere near the eastern end of Santa Monica Blvd. That peak we … Continue reading
Looking west along Melrose Ave from Western Ave, Los Angeles, 1900
The woman and child in this photo from 1900 are standing in the middle of Melrose Ave as the photographer stood at Western Ave looking west. Apart from what might be a house glimpsed through the trees in the background, … Continue reading
Semaphore traffic light somewhere in Los Angeles, circa 1928
I have no idea where in Los Angeles this photo was taken, but that’s beside the point. It’s a wonderful close-up of the semaphore traffic lights that controlled L.A. traffic until the three-light signal replaced them in 1956. The La … Continue reading
Heavy smog day outside Mission Hosiery Mills, 3764 South Broadway Place, Los Angeles, December 15, 1952
I know the air quality of Los Angeles grew ever worse in the 1950s, but it must have been an especially heavy smog day when this photo was taken outside Mission Hosiery Mills, 3764 South Broadway Place on December 15, … Continue reading
Looking north up Vermont Avenue from Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, 1914
This 1914 photo looking north up Vermont Avenue from Hollywood Blvd reminds us that once upon a time the streets of Los Angeles were wide and quiet and unpaved, and you could park pretty much wherever you like because there … Continue reading
Intersection of San Vicente Blvd, Olympic Blvd, and Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, September 1936
In this photo taken in September 1936, we see a Pacific Electric Red Car traverse the everything-coming-in-all-directions intersection of San Vicente Blvd, Olympic Blvd, and Fairfax Ave. I’m not seeing any traffic lights controlling this mayhem, but I assume they’re … Continue reading
Large white mansion surrounded by oil wells, Signal Hill, Los Angeles, circa 1930
I haven’t been able to establish where this photo was taken other than it was somewhere in Los Angeles. To my mind, the location is beside the point. What’s striking about this image is the contrast between the sprawling, luxurious … Continue reading
Aerial photograph of Los Angeles taken from a balloon in 1887
At first glance, this photo might not seem too interesting . . . until you learn it’s a shot of Los Angeles taken in 1887 from a hot-air balloon, and therefore quite probably the first overhead shot ever taken of … Continue reading
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Tagged 1800s, Aerial photographs, Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles
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