Title supplied by cataloger.; Photograph was edited for publication purposes. On December 31, 1936, Helen Wills Love stormed into the Del Mar Club in Santa Monica and shot her self-proclaimed husband, Harry A. Love, whom she felt was choosing his mother over her. Wills maintained that she was Love's "secret" wife because he had refused to share the news of his marriage with his mother, Cora K. Love, due to what Wills described as his "mother complex." Prior to her conviction in 1937, when she was sent to the California Institution for Women, also known as Tehachapi Prison, Wills fell into a coma, which was believed to have been induced by Will's overall anxiety and/or fear of prison or death by hanging. She applied for parole a couple of times, once in 1937 and again in 1938, but was denied. In 1938, she was told she would be eligible to apply again in two years; it is unknown when she was actually paroled. Wills, if counting her "marriage" to Love, had four spouses throughout her life. She died at 95 years of age on November 1, 2000. Photograph caption dated September 24, 1938 reads, "A feature of the Tehachapi fair was the display of pastry and candy made by the prisoners. Shown inspecting the display, are, left to right, Florence Monahan, warden, and Warders Susie Rogers and Alva M. Britton. Near Miss Rogers is the prize-winning cocoanut cake baked by Helen Love."
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
California Institution for Women (Tehachapi, Calif.) Prisons--California--Tehachapi Reformatories for women--California--Tehachapi Prison wardens--California--Tehachapi Desserts--California--Tehachapi Cakes--California--Tehachapi Confections--California--Tehachapi Interiors--California--Tehachapi Tehachapi (Calif.) Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express photographs Herald-Examiner 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.
