Washington’s Birthday at El Centro School, 1909
South Pasadena Fire Department, 1909
Cawston Ostrich Farm Staff, ca. 1910

Over 300 photographs depicting many facets of South Pasadena’s rich history are now available online through a joint project of the South Pasadena Public Library and the California Digital Library of the University of California.   The South Pasadena historical photos and their descriptions can be found on the Library’s website at www.cityofsouthpasadena.us/library under “online resources” or at www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu using “South Pasadena” as the search term.

The Library’s online photo collection features the Cawston Ostrich Farm, the Raymond Hotel, other local landmarks, and residents and events from South Pasadena’s early years.    The photographs were taken by such early South Pasadena photographers as Truman Keith, Herbert Kenny and Edgar Bowman and date from the 1880s to the 1970s.  The online collection also includes early postcards and advertisements.

The photographs and images are from the Local History collection of the South Pasadena Public Library or were loaned by local residents.    They were selected with the help of a committee of South Pasadena residents. The photographs were digitized and made available online through the Local History Digital Resources Program of the California Digital Library of the University of California, funded with a Library Services and Technology grant from the California State Library.  Calisphere, the online host, provides primary resources for K-12 students, educators, and the general public on California’s history and culture. 

More than 500 additional local history digital photographs, scanned in 2003 with an earlier grant from the California State Library, are also available at the South Pasadena Public Library.  

For information about the online photographs, or for any other information needs, please contact the Reference Desk at 626-403-7350.   The South Pasadena Public Library is located at 1100 Oxley Street.