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An original 4.5x2.5" antique photo (NOT a modern reprint) from the estate of a family that lived in the Los Angeles area during the 1920s. This is likely a one of a kind photo.
Photo Overview
A charming and candid snapshot from August 1926 captures a group of well-dressed visitors enjoying a summer day on the sand at Long Beach, California. A man in a flat cap and tie stands casually at center, flanked by a woman in a floral dress on the left and an older woman in an ornate hat and coat on the right, who stands beside a seated elderly figure in a chair under a small canopy. The scene is lively and full of period detail - scattered papers on the beach, beachgoers in the background, and a bustling boardwalk behind them.
The background is a treasure trove of 1920s Southern California beach culture. Clearly visible is the sign for \'Crescent Ice Cream,\' and behind the group stands a grand multi-story building with columned bay windows - likely part of the famous Long Beach boardwalk commercial district that thrived in this era. This is a one-of-a-kind snapshot from a Los Angeles-area family\'s personal collection.
Historical Notes
Long Beach in August 1926 was at the peak of its Roaring Twenties resort popularity. The city had just begun to boom following the discovery of oil in Signal Hill in 1921, and the beachfront was a thriving hub of amusement piers, ice cream parlors, dance halls, and hotels. The grand building visible in the background is consistent with the architecture of the Long Beach bathhouse and boardwalk commercial strip that lined the shoreline during this period.
Sadly, much of this Long Beach beachfront commercial district was devastated by the catastrophic 1933 Long Beach earthquake (magnitude 6.4), which struck on March 10 of that year and killed 115 people. Many of the ornate Victorian and Edwardian-era commercial buildings visible in photos like this one did not survive. The boardwalk as seen here is largely gone today, making photographs from this period rare windows into a lost California beach world.
Print analysis
This is a small original snapshot photograph measuring 4.5x2.5 inches, consistent with consumer camera formats popular in the mid-1920s. The paper stock, surface texture, and tonal characteristics are consistent with a silver gelatin print made at or very near the time the photograph was taken in 1926. The handwritten date on the front further confirms this is a first-generation print. This is considered a Type 1 original photograph.
Condition
Fair to good antique condition. Please see photos for exact condition details.
