Documenting my pocket of Los Angeles
Five years ago, I had the unique opportunity to step into the shoes of Tessa Kelso, an 1890s librarian in Los Angeles, as part of the Los Angeles Public Library’s "Historical Portraits Project" video series created by Standard Vision. Recently, the library revisited this project, sharing the video of my Tessa Kelso portrayal (on Facebook,... Continue Reading →
The next time you’re in the Central Library be sure to head up to the Children’s Literature Department to see a handful of paintings and sketches by artist Leo Politi (1908–1996), a children’s book artist known for his whimsical scenes of Los Angeles. Politi painted this particular series to memorialize the people, landmarks and stories... Continue Reading →
This week, I had the pleasure of digging into the delicious history found at the intersection of Southern California's architectural and culinary heritage. To celebrate its sixth season of the Lost LA series, KCET hosted an evening at the historic Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank before screening the Lost LA episode “Fast Food and Car... Continue Reading →
The doors of Bullocks Wilshire swished opened the last weekend of July for an annual open house, a summer affair held once Southwestern Law School students have emptied the building. Though I’ve been fortunate to tour the Art Deco gem many times under its current management, I still take every opportunity to explore the historic... Continue Reading →
On March 11, I joined about 100 people on the soggy San Francisquito Creek trail to trek towards the site of the St. Francis Dam. As many know, this dam collapsed just before midnight on March 12, 1928. With the exception of the last few Covid years, the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society hosts an... Continue Reading →
"Los Angeles's population has always been diverse, from the day that the Gabrieleño Indians watched 44 settlers of mixed Spanish, Native American, and African heritage found a new pueblo near the Gabrieleño village of Yang-Na in 1781," Dolores Hayden. In honor of Los Angeles’ 241st birthday today, here are just a few of the ways... Continue Reading →
For the last month or so, I’ve been knee deep in Red Car history. For those unfamiliar, Red Cars were the trolleys that clicked-and-clacked along Southern California's Pacific Electric system, once the largest public transit system in the country. Last fall, host of KCET’s Lost LA Nathan Masters invited me and a few of our... Continue Reading →
In honor of the retirement of my favorite botanical librarian, I compiled some favorite historical topics related to the Arboretum Library. The library has been a part of the Arboretum since the California Arboretum Foundation Board outlined the objectives for the botanical garden in 1948. Since then the Arboretum staff has amassed an impressive collection... Continue Reading →
On this April morning, my research rabbit hole pulled me down into Los Angeles’ millinery world. The US National Archives hosted a monthly #ArchivesHashtagParty on Twitter and chose the theme #ArchivesTipoftheHat. In researching some of the backstories to several images in local archives, I came across Harriett L. Wadley. Millinery work was a popular and... Continue Reading →
On Mother’s Day, I led a women’s history walking tour through downtown Los Angeles in honor of my own deceased mother. Mom was a passionate advocate for documenting women’s stories in Los Angeles. Sharing these stories seemed like the best way to honor her memory, especially since I incorporate her research into the tour script.... Continue Reading →
Victoria Bernal 