Intro
Earlier this year I shared a set of early 1900s stereograph photos of Silver Lake that I picked up at a local antique store. On a recent visit back, I came across another batch from the same era (1914–1916).
I’m pretty sure these are part of the same set as the ones I found before!! Either I missed them the first time around, or the collector who runs the booth set them out later. In any case, it was a nice surprise to stumble on more of them.
This group feels a little different. Along with the usual lake and dam views, there are also porches, gardens, and a few glimpses of everyday life around the water. Even more exciting, this set included a stereoview with people in it! They make the set feel less like a collection of scenic shots and more like a window into how people actually lived in the neighborhood back then.
The one card that features the family stood out to me because of a note written on the back. It mentions Mr. and Mrs. Howard Hopkins and that house called “Windhurst” again (which is still a mystery). I’ve been trying to track down who the Hopkins were and whether Windhurst was a home in Silver Lake (perhaps their home?), but so far the trail is still pretty vague. Even without a clear answer, though, details like this are what make these photos so fun to dig into. They give the scenes a personal connection, a reminder that these were snapshots of real people’s lives.
I’ll keep looking into the Hopkins/Windhurst mystery, and if anyone reading this happens to know more, I’d love to hear from you. For now, here is the “part two” batch.
The Silver Lake Cards I Found
The Full set of Silver lake Stereoviews
To make it easy to see the whole collection together, I’ve added both sets of stereographs (from Part One and this new Part Two) below, starting with Part 1 and ending with Part 2. It’s been fun piecing these together, and I love how they tell a bigger story when seen side by side.
Part 1
1. Driveway & Mountain View Along Historical Silver Lake Reservoir, LA Stereograph Photo, Date Unknown
Date: Unknown, Possibly 1900-1920
Modern-day Location: Suspected to be around the 2300 block of West Silver Lake Drive
Frontside writing: (bottom) “Gateway to ‘Windhurst’ + Stairway to lake” & (Right) “Entrance Gate, Windhurst Silver Lake + (?Benson?) Tree“.
Backside writing: “Ch(?)pp(?) R(????) at Windhurst (?) Silver Lake“
7. Historical Silver Lake House, Stereograph Photo, 1912
Date: Oct 5, 1912
Modern-day Location: Suspected to be somewhere along West Silver Lake Drive. Possibly documenting the original paving of West Silver Lake Drive.
Backside Writing: “Making the street at Silver Lake. Raised level (?) 4 feet above height when house was built“
8. Frontside of Historical Silver Lake House LA Stereograph Photo, 1913
Date: Feb 1, 1913
Modern-day Location: Unsure, but it’s possible that the “Windhurst” house stood on the western shore of Silver Lake Reservoir, along West Silver Lake Drive, facing east across the water toward today’s Silver Lake Meadow and Ivanhoe Reservoir area.
The exact street number has been harder to pin down, but the best evidence points to the stretch of West Silver Lake Drive between Armstrong Avenue (south) and Tesla Avenue (north).
Writing: None
Part 2
Check out the Part 1 blog post for more insights: Early 1900s Historic Stereograph Photos of Silver Lake, Los Angeles
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1906 San Francisco Earthquake Stereoview Cards By H. C. White Co.