Historical Perspectives

Seldom seen slice of life captured...ranch hands taking their dinner break of coffee & grub in the foothills above Clovis, circa 1890s.

One of the new Historical Perspectives ‘then & now’ photographs on display for tonight's Art Hop at the M Street Arts Complex is of the old Fresno Water Tower…this is cut-away is based on an illustration that Bee artist Doug Hansen did based on the architect’s diagrams (commissioned in 1891, completed in 1894).

One of my favorite illustrations...an 1890s look up Mariposa Street, Fresno, brought to life by Fresno Bee artist Doug Hansen.

I’ll continue with my Historical Perspectives show during this ArtHop, Thursday, Dec.7, 5-8 pm, 1419 M St, Fresno. I’ve swapped out a few from last month. Among the new ones:
-El Adobe de los Robles, one of the oldest standing buildings (163 years) in the Central Valley & its tie to the Donner Party tragedy.
-Dr Hares Sanitarium, where the one of the first X-rays was performed in the west (a 30-min. exposure performed in 1903, looking for a bullet in a patient’s shoulder)
-The Fiske building- where the notorious murder of the building’s swashbuckling owner occurred 133-years ago.
-The Fresno Expositor- on display, an original copy of the newspaper’s holiday 20th anniversary edition.
-The ghost town of Kingston- claim to fame: the entire village was tied up & robbed the day after Christmas, 1873.
Also, in keeping with holiday spirit, I’ll have out samples of my English toffee, for early attendees. M Street is also having a toy drive this night.

Historic ArtHop event this Thursday, Nov. 2, 5-8 pm, at the M Street Arts Complex. I’ll be showing some photographs from my Historical Perspective series that ran in the Bee over close to a decade. This is a local ‘then & now’ look, featuring historic photos & the stories behind the photos…a somewhat fun look at how our world has changed over the years. I’ll also have some historic artifacts on display. Location: 1419 M St, Fresno, gallery #13. Drop on by!