Scenes of Paris, 1922, art direction by Elsa Lopez.

Note: This is an encore post from 2022. 

Virtually unknown today, women like Elsa Lopez played an integral part in the early silent film industry. Not just actresses or in administrative behind-the-scenes jobs, females made active contributions in creating moving pictures, serving in positions in which they helped shape the look and production of movies, a fledgling, open industry looking for dynamic ideas. Argentinian born, Lopez provided creative elements to industry superstars at a time when few women of color offered important input, becoming one of the first Latino women to gain status in Hollywood.

Born 1887 in Argentina, Elsa Solano Lopez remains somewhat cloaked in mystery before arriving in Hollywood, and kept her life a closely guarded secret after entering the film industry. By 1910 she lived in Portland, Oregon, where on October 29, 1910, she married clerk Justin Patrick O’Connor, giving birth in 1912 to their son Patrick Justin O’Connor. By 1914, the family lived in Los Angeles, with O’Connor serving as mercantile reporter and Elsa serving as housewife/mother. A later short industry biographical notice said she served as interpreter and newspaper writer early in her career.

Lopez and other women will be showcased in an exhibition of images from collector Dwight M. Cleveland’s poster collection opening April 8 at New York City’s Poster House called Experimental Marriage: Women in Early Hollywood.

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