Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 Public Domain. Release under the CC BY Attribution license--http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/--Credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library; From the California Historical Society Collection at the University of Southern California Send requests to address or e-mail given USC Libraries Special Collections specol@usc.edu
Description
Photograph of a group of children outside an early private school situated at the Mission, San Fernando Valley, California, ca.1884. A group comprised of sixteen boys and girls stands on the shaded porch of a plank house. The tallest of the boys stands to the right with his hand on a shorter boy's shoulder. To the immediate left of him, another boy stands, holding a cane, in front of which a small girl who is not wearing shoes has had her face blurred. The girl to the extreme left of the group is the only apparent one whose dress has an apparent decorative pattern on it. Picture file card reads: "Although schools were rare, books costly, and the Californians indifferent to education in early times, San Fernando proudly claims the possession of a school more than eighty years ago. Señorita Concepcion Arguello, a young Spanish girl preparing to be a nun, taught a private school at the Mission in about 1840. The young daughters of the majordomo and others of the Spanish race attended, no Indians being permitted to enter. The regalia of a nun worn by the young teacher gives a quaint old-world atmosphere to this first school in San Fernando. After a lapse of nearly twenty years, the first public school was organized at Lopez Station. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lopez having enjoyed the best educational advantages of their time, under the instruction of Don Coronel, were earnest advocates of education. It was due to their efforts that a school was established. The schoolhouse was an adobe built by Mr. Lopez for a stage house, though never used as such. There were twenty-five children to attend the school. Mrs. Catherine Carter was the first teacher. She was paid sixty dollars a month. The school was partly public and partly subscription if the public treasury ran low the parents pledged themselves to make it up. It was taught in English. The teacher boarded with Mrs. Lopez for twenty-six years as long as the school remained. The Trustees were George Rice, Geronimo Lopez, and Mr. Robinson. The proportions of the district were awe inspiring, bounded by the sea on the West and limited by the mountains on the East. The school progressed so well that after fourteen years a new schoolhouse was deemed necessary, which was built at Lopez Station and used until 1884." The children are identified as: (Upper Row, Left to Right) Erlinda Lopez De Alexander, Issac Renaldi, Albert Oliver, Saragosa Grace Leonard (Teacher), Jack Jenifer(?), Catarina Lopez De Millen, Ramona Lopez De Shang, Grace Lopez De Wilson, Stephen Lopez, William H. Lopez. (Lower Row, Left to Right) Rubina Lopez De Dominguez, Julian Renaldi, George Jenifer(?), Jerome Durm, Otto Renaldi.
Type
image
Format
2 photographs : photonegative, photoprint, b&w 21 x 26 cm. negatives (photographic) photographic prints photographs
Lopez de Alexander, Erlinda Oliver, Albert Renaldi, Isaac Britton, Saragosa Lopez Leonard, Grace Lopez de Millen, Catarina Jenifer, Jack Lopez de Shang, Ramona Lopez de Wilson, Grace Lopez, William H Lopez, Stephen Lopez de Dominguez, Rubina Renaldi, Julian Jenifer, George Durm, Jerome Renaldi, Otto Lopez School Portraits--Group--School Los Angeles--San Fernando Valley--General Schools Children Mexican Americans Adobe brick Students Educational facilities
Time Period
circa 1884
Place
California Lopez toll road west of San Fernando Mission Los Angeles USA
Source
1-18-67 [Microfiche number] 6640 [Accession number] CHS-6640 [Call number] California Historical Society [Contributing entity]
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