When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Original vintage real-photo-style postcard or photographic souvenir card showing a sweeping elevated view of the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, California. The photograph looks across the immense outdoor amphitheater, its rows of bench seating, central stage and concentric-arch bandshell, with the undeveloped Hollywood Hills rising behind it.
The printed photographic caption reads:
“HOLLYWOOD BOWL — SEATING 20,000 — HOLLYWOOD, CAL. — 360”
The lower-right corner bears the photographer’s credit, “Brookwell Photo.”
This view shows the celebrated concentric-arch shell introduced for the 1929 season. The absence of the reflecting pool installed in front of the stage in 1953 suggests that the photograph predates that alteration. A cautious estimated date is approximately the 1930s to 1940s.
The photograph is especially appealing for its broad overview of the entire amphitheater and surrounding hills before much of the later development in the area.
HOLLYWOOD BOWL HISTORY:
The Hollywood Bowl officially opened in 1922 in a natural canyon formerly known as Daisy Dell. Several experimental stage structures were used during the 1920s.
The recognizable concentric-arch shell seen in this photograph was constructed for the 1929 season. That shell, with later modifications, remained an enduring Los Angeles landmark until its replacement after the 2003 season.
The card’s printed claim of seating for 20,000 reflects the venue’s historic promotion as one of the largest outdoor musical amphitheaters in the United States. The Bowl became the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and one of Southern California’s most recognizable entertainment venues.
ITEM SPECIFICS:
Type: Vintage Photographic Postcard or Souvenir Photo Card
Subject: Hollywood Bowl
Location: Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Venue Type: Outdoor Amphitheater
Image Number: 360
Photographer/Credit: Brookwell Photo
Caption: Hollywood Bowl — Seating 20,000 — Hollywood, Cal.
Estimated Era: 1930s–1940s
Date: Circa 1930s–1940s
Image Type: Black-and-White Photograph
Architectural Feature: Concentric-Arch Bandshell
View: Elevated Panoramic Overview
Theme: Architecture, Music, Entertainment and California History
Postal Status: Unposted
Writing: None
Stamp: None
Back: Blank
Original/Reproduction: Original vintage item
Unit of Sale: Single Card
CONDITION:
Vintage unposted condition with general age and handling wear. The card has light corner and edge wear, minor surface marks, faint spotting and some age-related toning. The photographic image remains sharp and detailed, with good contrast through most of the amphitheater and slightly lighter toning toward the hills and sky.
The blank reverse has light discoloration, faint impressions or ghost marks and minor handling wear. No stamp, postmark, address or written message is present.
Because the reverse lacks standard printed postcard markings, this may technically be a photographic souvenir card rather than a commercially printed postal card. It is standard postcard-like in format and is best described as a vintage real-photo-style Hollywood Bowl view. Please inspect all photographs carefully for the exact condition and format.
COLLECTING INTEREST:
A desirable image for collectors of:
Hollywood Bowl memorabilia
Old Hollywood history
Los Angeles photography
California real-photo postcards
Historic music venues
Outdoor amphitheaters
Los Angeles Philharmonic history
Southern California architecture
Concentric bandshell architecture
Pre-1953 Hollywood Bowl views
Brookwell photography
Vintage entertainment memorabilia
California tourism ephemera
