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LAPL Blog

Nicholas Beyelia, Librarian, History and Genealogy Department

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Charlotta Bass, Security Pacific National Collection

"I Promise I Will Do My Best": The Integrity of Charlotta Bass

February 26, 2021

Charlotta Bass, a name well known in Los Angeles history circles, has surfaced recently on a national front thanks in part to the ascension of Senator Kamala Harris to the position of Vice President of the United States.

Safer at Home, African American History Month, Women's History Month, Photo Collection
Author Katie Orphan and her book, Read Me Los Angeles: Exploring L.A.’s Book Culture

In Conversation With Author Katie Orphan

September 30, 2020

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this new book, Read Me Los Angeles: Exploring L.A.’s Book Culture from Prospect Park Books.

Author Interview, Safer at Home, Katie Orphan, Los Angeles History
postcard of the Cawston Ostrich farm

For the Birds: Edwin Cawston and the Farm That Invigorated Los Angeles

December 03, 2019

For someone who only spent about 25 years in Los Angeles, Edwin Cawston made a lasting impression on the cultural history of our great city and he did so through, of all things, a farm. Dubbed by the New York Journal as “one of the strangest sights in America”, the farm was anything but ordinary.

Los Angeles History, TESSA, Ostriches
photo of Wilshire Boulevard looking towards Bullock's Wilshire

Art Meets Commerce: The Bullocks Wilshire Building at 90

September 24, 2019

In a city where no structure is guaranteed permanence, the iconic Bullocks Wilshire building turns an astounding 90 years old this week.

Architecture, Los Angeles History
"Bob Gunton and Patti LuPone as Juan and Eva Peron singing "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" in a scene from the Broadway production of the musical "Evita."

All About Eva: Los Angeles Hosts the American Debut of the Musical, Evita

May 08, 2019

Los Angeles is a city whose theater scene is typically overlooked, yet every now and then we are host to a production that is monumental.

Los Angeles History, History, Evita, Eva Peron
Cover insert with a drawing of fishing boats by Burroughs student, Keith Robinson

Terminal Education: A Junior High School Yearbook and a Lost Community

January 10, 2019

It's a rare instance when a junior high school yearbook has implications on the social history of a city so when you see it, it’s pretty amazing; the winter 1937 edition of the John Burroughs Junior High School yearbook, Burr, is one such anomaly.

Los Angeles History, Special Collections
Janos Xantus in front of his sketch from his journal

Hungary Eyes: A Continental Impression of Early Los Angeles

September 25, 2018

A number of travelogues have been written about Los Angeles throughout the decades with a myriad of opinions on the cultural and social climate of the city. The City of Angels has been both praised and reviled in equal measures, but there is no question that it always leaves a lasting impression.

History Department, California History, Janos Xantus
Performer Julian Eltinge in and out of drag

The King of (Drag) Queens: The “Fascinating” Julian Eltinge

June 19, 2018

Long before Divine, Charles Pierce, Craig Russell, Jim Bailey, or any contestant on ‘Drag Race’ brought the art of drag performance to mainstream audiences, there was Julian Eltinge. Although remembered (mostly) by historians of queer history, he has been largely forgotten by the mainstream public.

LGBT, LGBT Featured, Photo Collection, TESSA, Los Angeles History, Drag Queen
Looking northeast towards Brighton Beach

Brighton Beach Memoir: A Look at a Lost Los Angeles Community

May 25, 2018

At some point in 1889 the president and (later) chairman of the board of the Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Los Angeles, Jackson A. Graves, decided that his Alhambra residence simply wasn’t as relaxing for his family as he would like.

Los Angeles History, History
Los Angeles Herald headline from July 24, 1905 reads "woman's rights volcano bursts"

The Great Library War of 1905, Part 4: Slaying a Few Philistines

March 31, 2018

This blog post series looks at the history of the 1905 firing of Mary L. Jones as Los Angeles City Librarian.

Library War, Women's History Month, Lummis, Heritage Month, City Librarians, Los Angeles History, History, Librarians, LAPL History

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