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L. E. Meeker Lantern Slides

November 15, 2010

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Two ladies in a flower bedecked carriage

 

The Arboretum’s collection of historic photographs includes two boxes of glass lantern slides which include several early images of the Rose Parade as well as scenes in Pasadena and other parts of the San Gabriel Valley.

Lantern slides were invented in 1849, only ten years after the invention of photography. They are positive photographic images on glass usually four by five inches in size. They were projected onto a screen using an early version of a slide projector. They made it possible to project large images that were viewable by sizeable audiences. Like the Meeker lantern slides they were often hand colored and when shown they were sometimes accompanied by live music, sound effects and dramatic readings. They were essentially a precursor to motion pictures. Information in detail can be found on the Magic Lantern Society’s web site.

Unfortunately we know very little about Meeker however some of the slides are inscribed “L.E. Meeker” and in some cases “M.D.” is added. A photograph of a pencil portrait includes a note indicating that Meeker was a physician.

Greeks at the 1906 Rose Parade?

Census records suggest that they may have belonged to a Dr. Lewis Edgar Meeker M.D. (1851-1918) of Brooklyn New York. As a young man, Meeker lived in Arcata, California where his son Lewis Edgar Meeker Jr. was born in 1881. Dr. Meeker was apparently a keen photographer and a President of the Eastern District Savings Bank. A note on page 210 of the journal Photographic Times and American Photographer in the 1887 issue under news from the Brooklyn Institute (now the Brooklyn Museum of Art) describes a lantern slide show presented by Meeker of old houses in Brooklyn. Meeker’s death was announced in the June 8, 1918 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Cause of death is not given but it is possible that the Class of 1872, Detroit Medical College graduate may have been a victim of the great 1918 Influenza Pandemic like so many others but this is simply guesswork at the moment.  

At present, we can’t be certain that the images were taken by Meeker or even if this is the correct L. E. Meeker. However, it seems likely and more research will undoubtedly reveal more about this collection of images. Perhaps someone reading this posting will be able to supply the solution to this mystery? We're hoping to get assistance in making high quality digital scans of the images to facilitate access and study of the images. 

House in Pasadena, 1906

 

 The first Tournament of Roses was held in 1890 to showcase the mild winter weather in Pasadena. Carriages bedecked with flowers probably made a powerful impression on the visiting snow birds as did images of the event which made their way east. Perhaps doctor Meeker retained fond memories of his visit as did many others who visited early in the 20th century. 

 

Mitchell Hearns Bishop

Curator, Historic Landscape and Collections

 

 

Reading the Western Landscape Book Group Nov/Dec 2010

November 12, 2010

News from the Library

The Reading the Western Landscape Book Group met last week to discuss Blacker Than a Thousand Midnights.  Below is a summary of the questions that were brought up for that book and a preview of the book that will be discussed on December 1.

Previous book selections can be found here and future selections here.

Previous Book

November 2010 - Blacker Than a Thousand Midnights

Blacker Than a Thousand Midnights coverBlacker Than a Thousand Midnights, by Susan Straight; New York: Hyperion ©1994.  Find it at your local library.

The life of a "straight and narrow" black man, a topic rarely treated in contemporary fiction. The protagonist is Darnell Tucker, a firefighter, and the setting is a racially mixed community in a volatile quarter of Los Angeles. By the author of I Been in Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots. From the WorldCat summary.

Susan Straight also has a new book that has just been published called Take One Candle Light a Room.

  • What was it about "fire."?  

  • What was it about the mountains?   

  • What did the story tell about fathers and sons? Fathers and daughters?  

  • What did his father do that Roscoe didn't? Or is that too easy?  

  • How did the parents (including his mother-in-law and grandmother) keep from losing Darnell?  

  • Why all the lies?  

  • After Louis was killed why did Darnell want to hear his father's stories?  

  • Was there really a twin, Antoine?

    • Next Book

    December 2010 - Between Grass and Sky: Where I Live and Work

    Discussion on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, 7:00 p.m.

    Between Grass and Sky cover

    Between Grass and Sky: Where I Live and Work, by Linda Hasselstrom; Reno: University of Nevada Press ©2002.  Find it at your local library.

    From Booklist: There are those who would argue that the viewpoints of a rancher and those of a nature lover are incompatible. Hasselstrom would not be among them, for she embraces Nature-with-a-capital-N as her home, her workplace, her inspiration, and her mission. Self-described as a "rancher-slash-writer," Hasselstrom, in these personal essays, details with pragmatic honesty economic, environmental, educational, and ethical issues confronting today's independent rancher. Beleaguered by the plagues of modern society, ranching is endangered as much by the inflamed rhetoric of ersatz environmental groups as it is by land developers intent on suburbanizing America's open spaces. With impassioned eloquence, Hasselstrom takes on all comers, from animal-rights activists to agribusiness conglomerates and eco-terrorists to militant vegetarians, patiently explaining facts, refuting arguments, defending opposing philosophies in logical, sensible, rational terms. "You don't know what it's like," she cautions and invites those quick to condemn to walk a mile in her rattlesnake-repelling high-top boots before castigating a way of life on which this country once thrived and must protect in order to do so again. Carol Haggas Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

     

     

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