Shades of L.A.

by Carolyn Kozo Cole
Curator of Photographs, LAPL

The "Shades of L.A." archive is a collection of photographs that were copied from ethnic family albums throughout Los Angeles by Photo Friends of the Los Angeles Public Library, a support group of the Library's photo collection. This six-year project involved more than a hundred volunteers, academics, and photographers. It yielded an extraordinary collection of 10,000 photographs that provide a glimpse into the lives of people whose histories had previously been overlooked. Since the collection was established, its images have been featured in countless books, articles, films and exhibits.

In 1997, impressed with the success of "Shades of L.A.", Huell Howser suggested that the California State Library expand the project throughout the state. The subsequent two-year project implemented collection days in communities from, among others, San Diego County to Humboldt County, from Escondido to Yuba City, from Corona to Modesto. Libraries in all of these regions mounted exhibitions. And in 2001, Heyday Books produced a publication featuring selected images from the entire project.

For additional information about the "Shades of L.A." or "Shades of California" projects or to view more images:

Almost 7,000 from the "Shades of L.A." project may be viewed on the Library's website: www.lapl.org.

Shades of L.A.: Pictures From Ethnic Family Albums
Carolyn Kozo Cole and Kathy Kobayashi
New York: The New Press: Distributed by W.W. Norton, c1996

Shades of California: The Hidden Beauty of Ordinary Life: California's Family Album
Edited by Kimi Kodani Hill; introduction by Robert Daseler; afterword by Carolyn Kozo Cole and Kathy Kobayashi
Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books, c2001