Who Were They?

We are going to step out of the 19th century to examine some gorgeous 1920s vintage photos found in an antique shop in Orange, CA. Today is a lovely young woman with a very cute bob haircut and sailor suit. I just love the photographs that have the subject looking upward in an optimistic and hopeful expression. The photo is about 4×6 and is an ornate cardstock folder, the type that will fold back on itself so the photo can be displayed.

The Murillo Studio was in the lobby of the Laughlin Theatre Building at 347 Pine Ave. at 4th Street, Long Beach, CA. This intersection is about 3/4 of a mile from the beach and is now the site of a large shopping plaza and a Gold’s Gym. The Laughlin was a progressive, art deco styled building that preceded the Paris exposition in 1925 which eventually defined the period as “art deco.” The Laughlin was built in 1915 and stood until 1933 when an earthquake damaged the building beyond repair and it was demolished. You can see photos of the theater by clicking through to this site and following the links in the comments. The building was very lovely. You can see that there are many businesses in the building, including a hair stylist, a dentist and some sort of malted milk retailer (?). Below is a photo of the theatre when it was first built.

I don’t know who this young lady was, but I hope that her hopeful and optimistic photo corresponds to a happy life.

UPDATE: I am recycling this photo as a Sepia Saturday post, where the theme for the week is movie actors etc. Searching high and low through my photos I can tell you I don’t have any movie actors or film star photos because I almost exclusively am a 19th century girl. However, this beautiful young lady caught my eye and I was delighted to discover the photo was taken not too far from where I live.

UPDATE  2: Some of the commenters compared this young lady with Louise Brooks. Since I was unfamiliar, I googled her and there is a striking resemblance! Click here for a wiki on her. She was widely credited for popularizing the bob haircut that was the look in the 1920s.

Click through to Sepia Saturday for hopefully better themed photos inspired by Claude Rains and the early motion picture stars who set the bar for every actor ever since.