The Old Orange County Courthouse exhibit gallery presents the exhibition “Aurelius O. Carpenter: Photographer of the Mendocino Frontier,” featuring photographs that vividly portrayCalifornia in the late 19th century.
The exhibit runs from Aug. 31, to Dec. 31, 2009 in the third-floor exhibit gallery of the Old Orange County Courthouse in downtown Santa Ana .
Carpenter was one of a number of traveling photographers who roamed California ’s largely untamed countryside in the late 19 century. Hauling his camera and supplies in a horse-drawn wagon, Carpenter would set up shop in rugged areas to document the tanning and logging industries, the coming of the railroads and new settlements.
Significantly, Carpenter also photographed Pomo American Indian communities and individuals in a series of panoramic photographs. Later his daughter, Grace Carpenter Hudson, would achieve lasting fame for her portrait work of the Pomos.
The “Aurelius O. Carpenter: Photographer of the Mendocino Frontier” exhibition tour was organized by theGrace Hudson Museum and the California Exhibition Resources Alliance. CERA is a network of professionally operated museums and cultural organizations that collaborate to create and tour smaller, affordable, high-quality exhibitions that enhance civic engagement and human understanding. CERA is supported by grants from the James Irvine Foundation and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.
The Old Orange County Courthouse exhibit gallery is located at 211 W. Santa Ana Blvd. in downtown Santa Ana . It is open Monday through Friday. Admission is free. More information about this exhibition and the Old Orange County Courthouse is available at (714) 973-6607 and www.ocparks.com.
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