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The Eye and the Image: Women Photographers of Los Angeles

Photo Friends,
Women taking a photograph

As March is Women’s History Month, it is only appropriate to celebrate some of the women who helped document Los Angeles – big events and small moments – for all to see. The photos below, which can be found in the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection, were taken by female photographers who captured images of the city – its people, places, and proceedings.


Lucille Stewart


Lucille Stewart was a photographer who worked for Mayor Fletcher Bowron (Mayor of Los Angeles from 1938 to 1953) and also for Currie’s Ice Cream, an ice cream parlor with locations throughout Southern California that dished up mile high cones, cherry phosphates, and other cool confections from the 1930s through the late 1960s. Her photos captured civic events, elections, parades, and folks enjoying a treat. Stewart also opened a stationery and camera shop on Pico Boulevard in 1957. She was awarded the Hall of Fame Award from Professional Photographers of California in 1992.

1966 California gubernatorial race

1966 California gubernatorial race featuring residing Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty (Lucille Stewart Collection, June 7, 1966)
Centennial celebration in Los Angeles
Centennial celebration in Los Angeles with Mayor Fletcher Bowron (Lucille Stewart Collection, August 13, 1946)
Currie’s Ice Cream shop in Montebello, California
Currie’s Ice Cream shop in Montebello, California (Lucille Stewart Collection, October 1946)
Lucille Stewart’s Stationery and Camera Shop
Grand opening of Lucille Stewart’s Stationery and Camera Shop on Pico Boulevard (Lucille Stewart Collection, April 18, 1957)

Carol Westwood


Carol Westwood, born in Rochester, New York, in 1942, was a photographer whose work included architecture, portraits, and fine art stills. After relocating to California in 1979, she photographed Los Angeles architecture as well as movie and entertainment icons. Just prior to her passing in 2011, Westwood personally donated a selection of her images to the Los Angeles Public Library.

panoramic view of Beverly Hills at night
Beverly Hills skyline at twilight (Carol Westwood Collection, 1980)
Capitol Records building
Capitol Records building (Carol Westwood Collection, 1990)
Corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights Boulevard
Corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights Boulevard (Carol Westwood Collection, 1980)
Liberace Mausoleum
Liberace Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood, California (Carol Westwood Collection, 1996)

Marissa Roth


Marissa Roth is a freelance photographer and photojournalist based in California whose images have been published in newspapers and other publications throughout the world. Her photos capture celebrations and altercations, bustling streets and empty lots. Roth took part in the Los Angeles Neighborhoods Project of the Los Angeles Public Library which created a visual record of L.A. neighborhoods.

Commissioned Graffiti in the Arts District

Commissioned Graffiti in the Arts District (photo by Marissa Roth for Los Angeles Neighborhoods Collection, May 2000)
Protesters at the Democratic Convention
Protesters at the Democratic Convention (photo by Marissa Roth for Los Angeles Neighborhoods Collection, 2001)
L.A. Music Center Fountain
L.A. Music Center Fountain (taken by Marissa Roth for Los Angeles Neighborhoods Collection, February 2000)

Cheryl Himmelstein


The photography of Cheryl Himmelstein captures the colorful world of the common man, from scenes of commerce to the Venice boardwalk. Born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, Himmelstein attended The Art Center, College of Design in Pasadena, California, becoming a freelance photographer who documents social and economic issues.

Santee Alley area

Santee Alley (taken by Cheryl Himmelstein for Industrial Los Angeles Collection, November 29, 2009)
Empanada Factory, Venice, CA
Empanada Factory in Venice Beach (Los Angeles Neighborhoods Collection, 2004)

An employee of Dina Bar-El

Dressmaker in downtown Los Angeles (Industrial Los Angeles Collection, July 14, 2009)
Yellow house in Venice Beach
Yellow house in Venice Beach (taken by Cheryl Himmelstein for Los Angeles Neighborhoods Project, 2002)

Written by Annie Murphy. Originally published on the Photo Friends Blog on March 15, 2016.

 


 

 

 

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