40 Mind-Blowing Photos of Historic Los Angeles

Travel back to a time before smog and freeways ruled Los Angeles with a list of vintage LA photos. We all have an image of LA, whether it's based on the beaches of Santa Monica or the glitz of Hollywood, but these photos from the 1800s and early 1900s show the City of Angels in a whole different light.

Los Angeles is a city that is constantly changing, which makes looking at old pictures of the LA area a strange experience. Though the city's history goes back much further, California's induction into the United States and the railroad's arrival in the mid-19th century resulted in a massive immigration boom and breakneck industrialization. That's when LA as we know it began to take shape.

These mind-blowing black and white photos from the period allow us to trace the origins of modern Los Angeles, illuminating just how much has changed and how much has stayed the same in the Southland.

Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

  • 1
    705 VOTES

    Santa Monica Beachgoers, 1908

    Santa Monica Beachgoers, 1908
    Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
    705 votes
  • 2
    676 VOTES

    Westlake Park, c. 1900

    Westlake Park, c. 1900
    Photo: Pierce, C.C. (Charles C.), 1861-1946 / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

    Now known as MacArthur Park.

    676 votes
  • 3
    654 VOTES

    Ambassador Hotel, 1921

    Ambassador Hotel, 1921
    Photo: W. T. Comstock Company, New York / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
    31 years later, the Ambassador Hotel would be the site of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination. The hotel was demolished in 2005 and the site is now home to the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools.
    654 votes
  • 4
    911 VOTES

    Santa Monica Pier, 1880

    Santa Monica Pier, 1880
    Photo: Los Angeles Public Library's Photo Collection / Wikipedia / Public Domain
    911 votes
  • 5
    661 VOTES

    Los Angeles Harbor, c. 1890

    Los Angeles Harbor, c. 1890
    Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
    661 votes
  • 6
    780 VOTES

    City Hall, 1888

    City Hall, 1888
    Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
    LA's third City Hall was located on Spring St. and served as the center of local government until 1928.
    780 votes