LOS ANGELES: OLDEST KNOWN PHOTOGRAPHS, A true Old World compilation

by Russell Dibird | May 5, 2022 | Factoid

LOS ANGELES: OLDEST KNOWN PHOTOGRAPHS, A true Old World compilation. Today we will take a deep dive (so very deep) into Los Angeles. I was rewatching some of my previous work, and one of my earliest videos (after I began taking this channel seriously) was about Old World California.

However, while entertaining, that video lacked the certain narration and greater direction I like to present in my work.

So, today, we will take a second look at California – more specifically at Tinseltown, The home of Hollywood, The city of Angels, Los Angeles, California.

I’ve scoured the interwebs to find the oldest and most unique photographs of Los Angeles. I focused on locating images of L.A. before WW2, with an extreme focus on images before the year 1900. And oh boy! I’ve collected some very telling photographs.

We will discuss the brief “current narrative” history of Los Angeles, from Native American (and possibly Polynesian?!) occupation in the earliest described times, to the more modern city we see today. For the first portion of the video I will focus on the facts as they are told in the narrative, but the freestyle portion of the video will mainly be off the cuff. I will leave timestamps below for you to browse at your pleasure.

These are some of the most amazing images of any Old World City I have discussed yet. Looking through the architecture, and comparing it to the narrative given, we can find many buildings (and other municipal structures) which appear to predate the narrative structure we have been given.