Harry Quillen's Los Angeles Chinatown
by
Jody Hummer
With immense appreciation to photographer, Harry Quillen,
we can go back in time to our Chinatown
of the 1930's, 40's, 50's and 60's--
all because of an unknown friend
at the Circus World Museum in Wisconsin.
Circus World, Wisconsin ????
Harry Quillen was an avid circus photographer
and after his death in 1972, his large format pictures
of early circus life were donated by his family
to the Ringling Circus Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Harry Quillen and little Circus bear
In a stack of yellow Kodak print boxes, stored in a closet in 1972, at the Circus World Museum,
in Baraboo, Wisconsin,
Harry's photographs remained hidden for 26 years.
One day in 1998, the Circus World Museum staff found the boxes and
inside were photos of lions, elephants, bears and...
Chinese families ??
They realized in Harry's yellow Kodak boxes,
LA Chinatown was documented over 40 years amongst the materials !
Willie Soo Hoo in Chinatown Playing Circus, in front of the
Forbidden Palace (now Blossom)
Photo by Harry Quillen
The Museum reached out to the Los Angeles Public Library in 1998.
"Hey", said Circus World to the LAPL Librarian,
"we found something verrrry interesting
you will love to have returned to your Library!"
"Hey", said Circus World to the LAPL Librarian,
"we found something verrrry interesting
you will love to have returned to your Library!"
So Thanks to the Baraboo Wisconsin Circus World Museum
https://circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org/
Harry's negatives traveled 1,985 miles back home
to Los Angeles-- 26 years later !
If Harry's photos had NOT traveled by accident to Wisconsin,
his entire archive may have been destroyed
in the LA Central Library Arson Fire of 1986.
Isn't that somethin'...
https://circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org/
Harry's negatives traveled 1,985 miles back home
to Los Angeles-- 26 years later !
If Harry's photos had NOT traveled by accident to Wisconsin,
his entire archive may have been destroyed
in the LA Central Library Arson Fire of 1986.
Isn't that somethin'...
Some of the Remarkable Photos of Chinatown at LAPL.ORG
LAPL is in process of cataloguing his unprinted work.
Negatives of the "New Section" of Chinatown,
were identified on May 26, 2012.
We are still searching for negatives of West Plaza,
which are mysteriously absent from the archives.
But stay tuned. It's unfathomable that Harry would not have explored
the whole of Chinatown with his 4x5 SpeedGraphic camera !
These new negatives below were shot with my Panasonic Lumix LX-3
on the lightbox you see pictured, and changed to a rough positive for viewing.
High resolution prints will later be added to the photo collection at www.lapl.org.
-- Jody Hummer, Chinatown Film Bridge
Negatives of the "New Section" of Chinatown,
were identified on May 26, 2012.
We are still searching for negatives of West Plaza,
which are mysteriously absent from the archives.
But stay tuned. It's unfathomable that Harry would not have explored
the whole of Chinatown with his 4x5 SpeedGraphic camera !
These new negatives below were shot with my Panasonic Lumix LX-3
on the lightbox you see pictured, and changed to a rough positive for viewing.
High resolution prints will later be added to the photo collection at www.lapl.org.
-- Jody Hummer, Chinatown Film Bridge
Some of the New Negatives at LAPL
More to come....
Contact Jody Hummer, LMGI
Chinatown Film Bridge
Bio
The Film Bridge
Serving to foster the mutual benefits of filming
with neighborhoods and business
Content Copyright Film Bridge. All Rights Reserved.
Chinatown Film Bridge
Bio
The Film Bridge
Serving to foster the mutual benefits of filming
with neighborhoods and business
Content Copyright Film Bridge. All Rights Reserved.