A brilliant, early view of the Los Angeles County Court House, brought to our attention by user Flyingwedge on the noirish Los Angeles thread. It's the sharpest image of the place I've ever found. It's also noteworthy to me because this is the first time I've seen the Court House without its landmark twin Canary Island palm trees on either side of the lions guarding the steps up from New High Street, which suggests the photo was taken very soon after construction was completed in 1891.
Image courtesy Islandora/U.C.L.A. Digital Library. Click photo for full-res file.
The image is so crisp, the 1888 cornerstone is clearly discernible on the edifice's northeastern angle (arrow).
Image courtesy Islandora/U.C.L.A. Digital Library
I love the little slices of everyday life you can find in these old shots. Like the snappily-dressed gentleman busy stuffing a handful of letters into a curbside mailbox. And a decade-plus before automobiles and bad driving became a defining characteristic of denizens of Los Angeles, there's a speeding, single-occupancy carriage passing a cable car on the right.
Image courtesy Islandora/U.C.L.A. Digital Library
Finally, speaking of cable cars, this one's from the Temple Street Cable Railway, which ran 1-1/2 miles up and back Temple Street from Spring Street to Belmont Avenue from 1886-1902.
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