This collection consists of glass photonegatives, glass positive transparencies, and black & white photographic prints of the photographer C.C. Pierce (1861-1946). The subject matter primarily covers Los Angeles and the surrounding vicinity.
This collection contains motion picture stills and key book photographs created by Columbia Pictures mostly from 1932 to 1959. Included are portrait photos, publicity photos, fashion stills, movie stills, and off-camera photographs showing various aspects of production filming. The subjects of the portrait images include actors, writers, directors, producers, composers, lyricists and others engaged in film production. The images are taken from nitrate negatives and corresponding photographic prints, with front and reverse views. The reverse sides of many prints bear date stamps, A.A.C. (Advertising Advisory Council) stamps, press tags, and handwritten notes including names of people involved in publicity and titles of film fan magazines.
On Wednesday, October 30, 1895, Armenians were massacred in Erzurum and the surrounding Armenian villages. American journalist William Sachtleben happened to be in Erzurum at that time, investigating the disappearance of American cyclist Frank Lenz. During the massacre Sachtleben was in the American mission building, where over 200 Armenians fled for protection. Sachtleben witnessed the aftermath of the massacre; he took photographs of the victims in the Armenian Cemetery and wrote three lengthy and detailed letters about the massacre that were published, unsigned and attributed to an Occasional Correspondent, in the London Times on November 16, 27 and December 9. In the Nov. 16 letter he wrote: "Saturday, Nov. 2...I went with one of the cavasses of the English Legation, a soldier, my interpreter, and a photographer (Armenian) to the Armenian Gregorian Cemetery. The municipality had sent down a number of bodies, friends had brought more, and a horrible sight met my eyes. Along the wall on the north in a row 20ft. wide and 150ft. long, lay 321 dead bodies of the massacred Armenians..." In the Times Nov. 27 letter, Sachtleben wrote: "The number of houses of Armenians in Erzerum is about 2,000...Of these 2,000 houses, about 1,500 to 1,800 are completely emptied of their contents. Many families, formerly well-to-do, are now completely in poverty, having lost all their goods in the shops and all their household articles as well..."
Will Connell (1898-1961) was a self-taught photographer. He opened a studio in downtown Los Angeles in 1925 and became a member of the Camera Pictorialists. He taught at Art Center College in Pasadena from 1931 until his death. His work includes movie publicity shots, magazine assignments and other commercial photography. Connell photographed every industry in California at the time. He completed a number of literary projects and artistic endeavors as well. Connell is known for his use of photomontage and there are examples of this aspect of his work among the nitrate images in the form of the photomontage itself and individual images that were used in creating the montage.
