I came across mention of this new online collection from the Library of Congress via this Metafilter post — The Lantern Slides of Frances Benjamin Johnston. What immediately caught my attention were all the shots of Southern California, including some areas I visit on a regular basis. It is amazing to see what was once there and, in one case, still remains.
There are many shots of lovely gardens and more.
Johnston (Frances Benjamin) Collection
Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1952) was one of the first American women to achieve prominence as a photographer. Trained at the Académie Julian in Paris, she studied photography upon her return to Washington, D.C., in the mid-1880s and opened a professional studio circa 1890. Her family’s social position gave Johnston access to the First Family and leading Washington political figures and launched her career as a photojournalist and portrait photographer. Johnston turned to garden and estate photography in 1910s. [To learn more about Johnston, see the Biographical Overview and Chronology.]