Title created by cataloger. Rolland Joseph 'Speedy' Curtis was born in Louisiana in 1922. After serving three years in the Marines during World War II, he and his wife, Gloria, relocated from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 1946. Curtis served four years with the Los Angeles Police Department, but resigned from the force in order to pursue both a Bachelor's and Master's degree from USC. He later became involved in city politics, as an associate of Sam Yorty, and later a field deputy to City Council members Billy Mills and Tom Bradley. He was briefly director of the Model Cities program in 1973. Rolland J. Curtis died in his home in 1979, the victim of a homicide. An affordable housing complex on Exposition Blvd. near Vermont Ave. was named in his honor in 1981, along with a nearby street and park. A female customer is shown sitting in front of a barber, as he styles her hair with a hair pick; both of them are unidentified. Several photographs can be seen hanging on the wall and a person is partially visible looking at herself in the mirror. This establishment appears to be the Magnificent Brothers Barbershop and Salon #2, located at 1568 103rd Street East in Watts. The photograph was possibly taken during the 1969 mayoral campaign of Councilman Tom Bradley (not present). Photograph circa 1969. See images 00128441 through 00128443, and 00143462 through 00143482 for additional photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 color negative : safety ; 10 x 13 cm. Photographic safety negatives
African American men Men African American women Women Barbershops Barbers Salons Hairdressing Hairstyles Afro (Hairstyle) Hair Towels Combs Mirrors Reflections Photographs Watts (Los Angeles, Calif.)
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