Category Archives: Art & Artists

Day in Hollywood: July 8, 1941

Posted on July 8, 2011 by lmharnisch

July 8, 1941: I thought it would be fun to check in with our old pals, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor and Jimmie Fidler. Lee writes about visiting researchers spending their summers at the Huntington. That’s my idea of a vacation! … Continue reading →

Posted in 1941, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Jimmie Fidler, Lee Shippey, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Soviet Film Posters – Update

Posted on July 6, 2011 by lmharnisch

Regular Daily Mirror reader Gary Martin visited the exhibit of Soviet film posters at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery and files this post: American museums have all become so look alike and all show such similar works by the same small … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, New York | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Soviet Film Posters – Update

Uncle Jed – Outsider Artist

Posted on July 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

In addition to his many other accomplishments (ever see him dance in “Broadway Melody of 1936?”) the late Buddy “Uncle Jed” Ebsen was an outsider artist. An untitled self-portrait in his “Uncle Jed Country Series” has been listed on EBay. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Found on EBay, Television | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Found on EBay – Batchelder Tile

Posted on July 5, 2011 by lmharnisch

This rather remarkable example of Batchelder tile has been listed on EBay. The vendor’s family was apparently a Batchelder distributor and has had this since the 1930s.   As with anything on EBay, an item and vendor should be evaluated thoroughly … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Found on EBay | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

More Letters From J.D. Salinger

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

The New York Times’ City Room has a story about a group of letters between author/recluse J.D. Salinger and E. Michael Mitchell, the artist who illustrated the original cover of “Catcher in the Rye.” Mitchell put the letters up for … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Libraries, Museums | Tagged , , | Comments Off on More Letters From J.D. Salinger

Eve Golden: Queen of the Dead

Posted on July 4, 2011 by lmharnisch

Queen of the Dead—dateline July 4, 2011   • Adorable, baby-voiced actress Alice Playten, 63, died on June 25. She was one of those “oh, her!” actresses whose face and voice are more familiar than her name. She did zillions … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Eve Golden, Film, Hollywood, Obituaries, Queen of the Dead, Stage, Television | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

#museum

Posted on July 3, 2011 by lmharnisch

My colleague Louis Sahagun of the Los Angeles Times takes a look at an effort to revive the Santa Catalina Island Museum with an exhibit of photos by Pattie Boyd, the former wife of George Harrison and Eric Clapton. Since … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, History, Museums | Tagged , , | Comments Off on #museum

#Hollywood #history #museums

Posted on July 2, 2011 by lmharnisch

DEARBORN, Mich. The Arab American National Museum is opening an exhibit focusing on the generation of children who are growing since the 9/11 attacks. The project, “In the Heart of Arab America,” was sponsored by the Asian American Journalists Assn. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood, Museums, Religion, Television | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on #Hollywood #history #museums

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 3

Posted on June 30, 2011 by lmharnisch

In March 1943, Disney studios released “The Spirit of ’43,” a cartoon in which Donald Duck is forced to choose between saving his money for “taxes to bury the Axis” (aided by a thrifty proto-Scrooge McDuck)  and spending his paycheck … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Latinos, Lee Shippey, Nightclubs, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

From the Stacks: ‘The Big Picture’

Posted on June 29, 2011 by lmharnisch

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 are aware that, exposed as it is to … 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 , , , | 5 Comments

From the Galleries: Soviet Film Posters

Posted on June 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

Friday’s New York Times has a brief article on an exhibit of Soviet film posters at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery on West 26th Street in Chelsea. According to the New York Times, the posters were collected by Susan Pack, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

‘Zoot Suit’ and History – Part 2

Posted on June 28, 2011 by lmharnisch

May 9, 1943: Al Capp satirizes zoot suits in a series about “Zoot-Suit Yokum.” In Part 1, we saw that in 1942, The Times originally portrayed zoot suits as a youthful fad, but that attitudes hardened toward them once the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fashion, Film, LAPD, Latinos, World War II, Zoot Suit | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Call From the Past

Posted on June 25, 2011 by lmharnisch

Maybe it’s not enough for your cellphone to have a ringtone that’s an  old-school phone. Maybe you need an iPhone docking station that looks like an old phone. These are made by Freeland Studios in the regular (left, $195) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Futurism, Interior Design, Retro | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

A Guide to Buying Native American Arts and Crafts

Posted on June 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

My friend Mark Bahti has posted an excellent guide to buying Native American arts and crafts. Mark operates Bahti Indian Arts, which was founded by his father, Tom. Mark says: Visitors to any of Arizona’s 22 tribes have a wonderful … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Native Americans, Photography | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on A Guide to Buying Native American Arts and Crafts

Architectural Rambling

Posted on June 23, 2011 by lmharnisch

One of the more prolific architects in early 20th century Los Angeles was Arthur S. Heineman, who designed this home for E.A. Webber at 2248 4th Ave. in West Adams Heights, as shown in The Times.  This Heineman home at … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910, Architecture, Art & Artists, Pasadena | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Our New Logo

Posted on June 18, 2011 by lmharnisch

Thanks for our friend Ed Fuentes of View From a Loft, the Daily Mirror has a new logo. A big thank-you to Ed! Check out his website! 

Posted in Art & Artists | 3 Comments

Los Angeles Tattoo Shops, 1943

Posted on June 17, 2011 by lmharnisch

This is one of my favorite discoveries from the city archives, a description of tattoo shops in Los Angeles by an anonymous citizen. Los Angeles City Council File 15670 September 2, 1943 Dear Sir, I recently made an investigation of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Libraries, Photography, World War II | 5 Comments

The Mystery of the Transparent Car

Posted on June 16, 2011 by lmharnisch

For sale: A transparent Pontiac! The sale car is on display in St. Petersburg, Fla., Feb. 19, 1940. The sale car on display in Spokane, Wash., in 1941. But wait! A different transparent Pontiac is on display in Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Posted in 1939, 1940, 1941, Art & Artists, Transportation | 8 Comments

Sex Mysteries Demonstrated With Living Artist Models

Posted on June 14, 2011 by lmharnisch

  July 24, 1932: Cartoonist Edmund Waller “Ted” Gale puts Miss Los Angeles in the midst of a dazzling array of national stereotypes for the 1932 Olympics (note that Mexico is in a sombrero … and is Japan wearing a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1932, Art & Artists, Comics, Film, Hollywood, Stage, Theaters | 1 Comment

Found on EBay – Batchelder Tile

Posted on June 12, 2011 by lmharnisch

This unusual combination of Batchelder tiles has been listed on EBay. I have seen individual tiles from this series, like the one at right, in previous listings, but this is the first time I’ve seen a combination of them. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art & Artists, Batchelder Tile, Found on EBay, Interior Design | Comments Off on Found on EBay – Batchelder Tile