1st Thursday Reception: A Glimpse in Time

A Glimpse Back in Time: Highlights from the Edson Smith Historic Photograph Collection

The Edson Smith Photo Collection contains over 3100 historical images of Santa Barbara from the 1870s-1950s and is named for the Santa Barbara native and long-time resident Edson A. Smith (1877-1947), who collected many of the photographs. The collection captures images of historic buildings, adobes, houses, views of State Street, cultural landmarks, local dignitaries, and many events, including early Fiesta parades, the arrival of the first Southern Pacific train in Santa Barbara in 1887, and the aftermath of the Santa Barbara Earthquake on June 29, 1925. 

For this exhibition in the Faulkner Gallery, Library staff selected 30 black and white images demonstrating the breadth of scope in the Edson Smith Collection. 

John C. Woodward provided funding for the Edson Smith Digitization Project.