(This is new from Richele Silva!)
Most major cities have some historical preservation; Long Beach has an exceptional collection begging for attention. The wonderful people who archive and handle the photography collection at the HSLB have great art for the taking at really reasonable prices.
If youre in need of inexpensive but fun photography I invite you to check them out, not only will you start a wonderful collection that will invite cocktail conversations, but you will help out a charitable foundation. Most photos are 8x10 and are shockingly affordable at $30 or so. Their Ebay store is also fantastic! (All rights reserved of the Historical Society of Long Beach)
Copyright © 2007 Apartment Therapy
Long Beach does have a great historical society, and in a wonderful building downtown. I haven't been inside, but they have photos posted in their window.
Speaking of LB have you mentioned the great book, "Long Beach Architecture: The Unexpected Metropolis" which deserves a post of its own. I wrote about it here: http://hayleyalaska.typepad.com/alaska_long_beach/2006/03/long_beach_arch.html, with a few pictures.
Cheers!
The price is not shocking--these are reprints. In fact, I'll bet they're not reprints but scans of the original photos. For decorative or nostaglia purposes, that's great. Photo collectors want prints from the original negatives.
Don't get all miffed at me--I think the LBHS is a great outfit, but the AT post wasn't clear about what's on offer.
The main downtown branch of LAPL (the Los Angeles Public Library) also has a great photo collection from which you can get re-prints made for not too much money as well.
Rachel,
If you checked the ebay site of there's you would see a complete description for the prints [yes they are reprints]
Our prints are produced by a professional processing lab using lasers to image directly on photographic paper resulting in stunning prints comparable to traditional enlarger prints. Our reproductions are made on Fuji Crystal Archive, a resin-based paper that is noted for its unmatched archival quality. Under normal conditions it lasts six or seven decades before any noticeable fade. Reproductions are black and white on glossy finish with additional 1/4 inch borders.
still I think 30$ for a good quality print is a good deal