The Story of the Southwest Museum (Pamphlet)

Description

Author: Robinson, W.W.  (William Wilcox)  (1891-1972)

Publisher: The Ward Ritchie Press (Los Angeles)

Pub Date: 1960

Binding: Paperback

Condition: Fair.  Binding tight.  No marks, tears, bends or folds.  Sun-fading to spine.  Very light edge and corner wear.  Includes ephemera (see photo)

Notes: The now-defunct Southwest Museum  was the first museum in Los Angeles.  Incorporated in 1907 by Charles Lummis, the museum was first housed in vacant warehouses in downtown Los Angeles, and moved into its own building in 1914.  The museum ran into trouble in 1993, when the then director was accused of pilfering and selling items from the collection, to the tune of about 2+ million dollars.  It was absorbed by the Autry Museum in 2003, and closed permanently in 2022.  Renovation of the museum building to modern standards is estimated to cost up to $100 million dollars, but I’ll bet you could buy it for a helluva lot less.  Chatty history–Robinson wrote about 40 books and pamphlets on California history.  Includes a brochure “An Introduction to The Southwest Museum Research Library,” which gives a basic introduction to some of the museum’s collections.  The Museum motto?  “Mañana flor de sus ayeres.”