06/16/2026
The A. C. Brown photograph collection was originally assessed at approximately 34,000 4x5 negatives taken 1950s-1970s. In fact, there are negatives in various formats including 4x5, 6cmx6cm, 6cmx9cm, strips, 35mm, and in both color and black and white. But wait, that’s not all! There are also prints of various sizes, color and black and white… and one more surprise.
As seen in the first slide, there are spliced negatives (some, yes, upside-down) dating back to 1937 and as late as 1986—well before and after the time we expected. Because they are in this type of envelope (second slide, not an archival sleeve) and are so small, were probably missed in the original assessment. An accurate count is still developing, but the final count might be much higher than 35,000.
A. C. Brown was a commercial photographer who worked for others before striking out on his own and opening A. C. Brown Studio at 1092 East 7th Street. The image in the second tile suggests he may have worked at Dick Whittington’s studio when he took these 30 photos (not all shown). While the outside of the envelope is labelled “Cabrillo Beach and Los Angeles Harbor incl(uding) Navy Landing, docks, fishing, breakwater, beach, boats,” we have also found images that are clearly not from this area. On the back is a hand written note that says “12-22-37” which might be the date developed, but we don’t know for sure. Any further information about time and place is lost to history… for now.
Tune in next week for a closer look at these photos from 1937 featuring the Navy Landing, and more!
Interested in what other photo treasures are lurking in the collection? Make a research appointment today to see more images from Long Beach past through the lens of A. C. Brown.
Special thanks to for sponsoring this image series.
Operational support for HSLB provided by the Arts Council for Long Beach , the City of Long Beach
