Capturing Santa Monica: H.F. Rile

A series by the Santa Monica History Museum featuring the photographers and photojournalists who recorded the city's history

Landward View of the Long Wharf (1900 circa) by Rile, H. F.Santa Monica History Museum

Santa Monica, 1875: 1,000 residents, 160 houses, a school district and a church, the wharf, and a local newspaper. The small coastal community was officially declared a town that year.

Alberts Family at the Beach (1894) by Rile, H.F.Santa Monica History Museum

Photographer H.F. (Harry Frantz) Rile (1860-1949) was active from the 1880s through the 1910s. He produced cabinet cards documenting everything from local businesses and school children to city celebrations and views of Palisades Park.

Opening of Pacific Electric Railroad Trolley Service (1896/04/01) by Rile, H.F.Santa Monica History Museum

Here, Rile documented the crowds celebrating the opening of the Pacific Electric Railroad transportation service from Los Angeles to Santa Monica in 1896.

Pier Day Opening Ceremonies (1909/09/09) by Rile, H. F.Santa Monica History Museum

Rile also captured visitors at the Santa Monica Municipal Pier for the opening day dedication ceremonies on September 9, 1909.

Ocean Park Cottages (1890 circa) by Rile, H. F.Santa Monica History Museum

As a young man, Rile worked his way west from Philadelphia, finally settling in Santa Monica sometime between 1885 and 1888.

Advertisement for H. F. Rile (1900 circa) by Rile, H.F.Santa Monica History Museum

Rile was an effective marketer, labeling images with his distinctive “H.F. Rile Photo” mark and a title for each scene. He also devised a number of different advertisements printed on the back of his cabinet cards.

Souvenir Beach Photograph (1900 circa) by Rile, H.F.Santa Monica History Museum

Beachgoers could pose with a variety of backdrops in his studio or purchase pre-printed views of Santa Monica.

The Crystal Plunge (1887) by Rile, H.F.Santa Monica History Museum

From the 1880s through the 1920s, Californians "plunged" into large covered pools just steps away from the Pacific Ocean. These bathhouses were filled with ocean water heated via glass rooves.

North Beach Bath House and Arcadia Hotel (1900 circa) by Rile, H. F.Santa Monica History Museum

Rile succeeded two of Santa Monica’s earliest documentarians, Carleton Watkins and E.G. Morrison. Upon Morrison’s death, Rile purchased his photography business and opened the Pacific Photograph Gallery on the sand near Santa Monica’s popular North Beach Bath House.

Fraser's Million Dollar Pier (1911 circa) by Rile, H.F.Santa Monica History Museum

An ill-fated move to the Decatur Hotel in Ocean Park, which suffered a devastating fire in 1912, caused Rile to close up shop and reopen at Jefferson Boulevard and Western Avenue in Los Angeles.

Early Homes on Third Street (1900 circa) by Rile, H. F.Santa Monica History Museum

Rile is believed to have left the photography business in the late-1910s due to problems with his vision.

Fishing in Santa Monica Bay (1900 circa) by Rile, H. F.Santa Monica History Museum

Over the past forty years, the Santa Monica History Museum has acquired a large collection of original Rile cabinet cards generously donated by members of our community.

Credits: Story

© Santa Monica History Museum

For more information, visit https://santamonicahistory.org/

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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