LAPL Blog
Christina Rice, Senior Librarian, Photo Collection

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Video: The Carol Westwood Photo Collection
For a look at Los Angeles in the 80s and 90s, the Carol Westwood collection is an indispensable resource.
A King in the City of Angels
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, but as in so many cities and towns throughout the country, his impact on Los Angeles was strong and far-reaching. King visited L.A.
Going for the Gold: African Americans and the Games of the XXIII Olympiad
We have to wait until the summer of 2028 for Los Angeles to host the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, but when we do, we will join Paris and London as only the third city to host the Summer Games three times, having previously done so in 1932 and famously, in 1984.
The First with the Latest! Aggie Underwood, the Los Angeles Herald, and the Sordid Crimes of a City
A picture may say 1,000 words, though there is possibly another story lurking just outside the frame.
Bette Davis, a Life in One Archival Folder
The library’s Los Angeles Herald Examiner photo collection spans seven decades, from the mid-1920s to 1989 and is a treasure trove of all things Los Angeles.
A City Engaged: Los Angeles in the Civil Rights Era
Los Angeles has always been a city of rich cultural diversity, often serving as a beacon of prosperity for migrants and immigrants around the globe.
The Sherman Institute of Riverside, California: A History in Photos
When the Perris Indian School was established in 1892 by the United States government, it became the first non-reservation boarding school for Native American children in California.
How Spanish-Language Entertainment Revived the Broadway Theaters
Once upon a time, Broadway was the Great White Way of the West. A high concentration of theaters populating the stretch of Downtown between 3rd and Olympic rendered it an epicenter for film and live entertainment.
LGBTQIA History From the Back of the Photo
Prior to the late 1970s, LGBTQIA coverage in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner (previously the Herald Express) was extremely limited. Any photos in our image archive from the newspaper focus exclusively on men being arrested for "masquerading" as women.
Women's History Month Spotlight on Lucille Bryant Raport: North Hollywood Architect
For many, the predominant image of the post-War woman is the suburban mother and consummate homemaker as immortalized in television characters of the period such as Donna Stone (The Donna Reed Show), Harriet Nelson (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet), and June Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver).