Young African American woman seated with young child in the living room of a house. Behind them are a lamp on a table and a mantle with family photographs.
This is a picture of a woman among flowers at the Palisades Park. In the background are tall palm trees and in the distance, one can see the Pacific ocean.
Born on the island of St. Croix in the Danish West Indies in 1810, William Leidesdorff was the son of Danish sugar planter Alexander Leidesdorff and Anna Marie Sparks, a light-skinned woman of mixed race ancestry. In 1841 Leidesdorff settled in the Mexican village of Yerba Buena on San Francisco Bay. Over the next three years he became a successful merchant by making frequent trips between California, Mexico and Hawaii. In 1844 governor Micheltorena confirmed his land grant of 35,000 acres on the American River. Ranch Rio de Los Americanos was located near the spot where James Marshall discovered gold in January 1848. When Leidesdorff died unexpectedly in May 1848 he was buried inside Mission Dolores Church. Leidesdorff was a social, economic and political force in pre-gold rush San Francisco. When he was named the U.S. Vice Consul to Mexico in 1845, he became the nation’s first African American diplomat. He was elected to San Francisco’s first city council and its first school board in 1847. He built the first hotel, the first shipping warehouse, he operated the first steamboat on San Francisco Bay, and he laid out the first horse race track in California
Dr. Vada Somerville (born Vada Jetmore Watson) of Pomona graduated from USC, married dentist John Alexander Somerville (1912), was the first African American woman and the second African American person to graduate from USC School of Dentistry (1918), and was the first African American woman certified to practice dentistry in the state of California. She was a civil rights activist, highly involved in several civic and community organizations.
Dr. Vada Somerville (born Vada Jetmore Watson) of Pomona graduated from USC, married dentist John Alexander Somerville (1912), was the first African American woman and the second African American person to graduate from USC School of Dentistry (1918), and was the first African American woman certified to practice dentistry in the state of California. She was a civil rights activist, highly involved in several civic and community organizations.
Circa 1899 watercolor view of Julian, a mountain town in San Diego County. Julian experienced a gold rush that began with the discovery of gold by A. E. "Fred" Coleman, a former slave.
This image is of a group of players playing volleyball on the beach. Directly behind them, sunbathers under umbrellas can be seen. In the background is the Casa del Mar Hotel.
Vivian Osborne Marsh was born in Houston, Texas, and received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. She founded the Berkeley campus’ Kappa Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She went on to found several other chapters. Two major projects that she organized were the Traveling Library, which provided books to rural portions of Georgia, and Teen Lift, which provided opportunities for underprivileged teenagers to visit events such as symphonies and operas. She was involved in many civic organizations. On February 21, 1981, the mayor of Berkeley honored her contributions by declaring it to be Vivian Osborne Marsh Day.
Photograph of tulips arranged in a shallow Virgin Mary. The items are place in front of a mirror that reflects them as well as additional items on display in the store.
Dr. Vada Somerville (born Vada Jetmore Watson) of Pomona graduated from USC, married dentist John Alexander Somerville (1912), was the first African American woman and the second African American person to graduate from USC School of Dentistry (1918), and was the first African American woman certified to practice dentistry in the state of California. She was a civil rights activist, highly involved in several civic and community organizations.
Watercolor painting of a view towards an oceanside amusement pier with power poles lining the road down to the pier and 2 amusement rides visible beyond the pier buildings in the distance
This image is a view of the cliffs at Palisades Park, Santa Monica and the highway and beach below. In the background, the Santa Monica Pier can be seen.
View from Palisades Park towards Santa Monica Beach. The view includes the roof of the Sorrento Club against the palisades cliff (right foreground), the Pacific Coast Highway, and the Jonathan Club across the highway.