Herman J. Schultheis was born in Aachen, Germany in 1900, and immigrated to the United States in the mid-1920s after obtaining a Ph.D. in mechanical and electrical engineering. He married Ethel Wisloh in 1936, and the pair moved to Los Angeles the following year. He worked in the film industry from the late 1930s to the mid-1940s, most notably on the animated features Fantasia and Pinocchio. His detailed notebook, documenting the special effects for Fantasia, is the subject of a 14-minute short-subject included on the film's DVD. In 1949, he started employment with Librascope as a patent engineer. Schultheis was an avid amateur photographer who traveled the world with his cameras. It was on one of these photographic exhibitions in 1955 that he disappeared in the jungles of Guatemala. His remains were discovered 18 months later. The digitized portion of this collection represents the images Schultheis took of Los Angeles and its surrounding communities after he relocated to the area in 1937. View of the Union Pacific Building, on the corner of 6th and Hill streets. Above the building, a billboard in the shape of a shield reads "Union Pacific. The Overland Route". It is attached to another rectangular billboard showing an eagle in full flight with a speeding train just below its talons, which reads "Streamliner. City of Los Angeles. 39 1/4 hours to Chicago". Several cars and a few pedestrians can be seen heading away from the photographer.
Union Pacific Corporation High speed trains--California--Los Angeles Automobiles--California--Los Angeles Billboards--California--Los Angeles Buildings--California--Los Angeles Streets--California--Los Angeles Schultheis Collection photographs
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
