Category Archives: Art & Artists

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Bessie Lasky, Painter

Posted on March 18, 2024 by lmharnisch

Bessie Lasky in her studio, courtesy of Jesse L. Lasky.com. Note: This is an encore post from 2019. Though overshadowed by her husband, Jesse, Bessie Lasky was as much an artist as he, a multitalented artist in many fields with … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – James Montgomery Flagg

Posted on January 16, 2024 by lmharnisch

Photo: What is advertised as an original copy of James Montgomery Flagg’s “Tell That to the Marines!” is listed on EBay. Bidding starts at $361.66. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Illustrator James Montgomery Flagg is best remembered … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: John Decker – Painter to the Stars

Posted on October 23, 2023 by lmharnisch

Chester Conklin by John Decker, courtesy of Mary Mallory. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. “To sing, to laugh, to dream, to walk in my own way and be alone…” A recording of John Decker’s voice recited this … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Nell Brinkley, Queen of Early American Comics

Posted on August 7, 2023 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. When Americans think of classic illustrators from the early 20th century, names such as Charles Dana Gibson, Harrison Fisher, Haskell Coffin, James Montgomery Flagg, and John Held Jr. spring to mind. Forgotten … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Comics, Fashions, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 5, 2022 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. True style never goes out of date, after all. We are being bombarded by stories about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with videos of long lines at stores and the attendant consumer frenzy. … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Keye Luke

Posted on June 20, 2022 by lmharnisch

Image: “Just a Little Longer,” illustrated by Keye Luke for Harold Weeks Melody Shop. Credit: Mary Mallory.   Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Keye Luke, the talented and respected Chinese American actor, is probably best known to … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Television | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Central Library Murals

Posted on June 13, 2022 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Los Angeles was a growing metropolis in the 1920s, looking forward to a prosperous future. As such, newly designed municipal buildings reflected the glory and success of the West’s shining city. Griffith … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Libraries, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Erte and the Movies

Posted on February 28, 2022 by lmharnisch

Nov. 3, 1925: Romain de Tirtoff — also known as Erte — with Carmel Myers. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. In 1925, Romain de Tirtoff, better known under the pseudonym Erte, was one of the most highly … Continue reading →

Posted in 1925, Art & Artists, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – United Artists Theatre

Posted on February 7, 2022 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Los Angeles and Hollywood have been the Mecca and Medina of movies, where their acolytes came to worship, work and learn in the teens and 1920s.  After making movies, reverent places of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1926, 1927, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Mary Mallory, Preservation, Religion, Theaters | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Los Angeles Celebrates Christmas, 1913

Posted on December 25, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2013. Dec. 25, 1913: The Times carries a biblical passage across the nameplate (notice the artwork of the new and old Times buildings) and a Page 1 cartoon by Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1913, Art & Artists, Food and Drink, Medicine | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 22, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. I picked up “The Big Picture,” Melba Levick and Stanley Young’s 1988 book about Los Angeles murals, not realizing what a terribly sad book it would be. As Young notes: “Most artists … Continue reading →

Posted in 1988, Architecture, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Downtown, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Latinos, Photography, Preservation, San Fernando Valley, Sports, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 16, 2021 by lmharnisch

“Angel’s Flight” by Leo Politi. Note: This is an encore post from 2014. Another of my favorite books about Los Angeles is Leo Politi’s “Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Reminiscences of Bygone Days,” published in 1964. Copies are listed on Bookfinder … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 15, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. True style never goes out of date, after all. We are being bombarded by stories about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with videos of long lines at stores and the attendant consumer frenzy. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Art & Artists, Books and Authors | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 6, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. Whenever I’m asked about my favorite books on Los Angeles, my first recommendation is “Nuestro Pueblo,” a selection of features by Times artist Charles Owens and writer Joseph Seewerker that appeared in The … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Nuestro Pueblo | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Einar Petersen, Forgotten Artist

Posted on October 25, 2021 by lmharnisch

Image: Lobby of the New Rosslyn Hotel, showing murals by Einar Petersen. Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Fame is an odd thing. An artist might be successful and popular in his lifetime and forgotten with the decades, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1915, Architecture, Art & Artists, Downtown, Food and Drink, Hollywood Heights, Interior Design, Mary Mallory, Obituaries, Photography, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary Mallory: Hollywood Heights – Slavko Vorkapich

Posted on September 20, 2021 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2012. Many people come from all over the world to try and make a new start in Hollywood, particularly in the film industry. Among these over the years have been many artists from … Continue reading →

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Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Hugo Ballin, L.A. Muralist

Posted on March 29, 2021 by lmharnisch

Photographs by Larry Harnisch / LADailyMirror.com Mural in the Los Angeles Times Globe Lobby, dated July 19, 1934, by Hugo Ballin Note: This is an encore post from 2011. Hugo Ballin is one of the greatest muralists in Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Brain Trust, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Hollywood Heights, Libraries, Mary Mallory, Parks, Photography, Preservation, Religion | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 15, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2011. I picked up “The Big Picture,” Melba Levick and Stanley Young’s 1988 book about Los Angeles murals, not realizing what a terribly sad book it would be. As Young notes: “Most artists … Continue reading →

Posted in 1988, Architecture, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Downtown, From the Stacks, Hollywood, Latinos, Photography, Preservation, San Fernando Valley, Sports, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 14, 2020 by lmharnisch

Note: This is a repost from 2013. True style never goes out of date, after all. We are being bombarded by stories about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with videos of long lines at stores and the attendant consumer frenzy. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1957, Art & Artists, Books and Authors | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 10, 2020 by lmharnisch

“Angel’s Flight” by Leo Politi. Note: This is an encore post from 2014. Another of my favorite books about Los Angeles is Leo Politi’s “Bunker Hill Los Angeles: Reminiscences of Bygone Days,” published in 1964. Copies are listed on Bookfinder … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors | Tagged , , | Leave a comment