Capturing Santa Monica: Adelbert Bartlett

Adelbert Bartlett (c1887-1966) was a commercial photographer known for his ethereal representations of daily life in his home city of Santa Monica.

He captured residents relaxing in Palisades Park, Santa Monica High School (SAMOHI) students performing at Barnham Hall, and views of Santa Monica Bay in the 1920s and 1930s.

Here Bartlett captured individuals on the Santa Monica Pier looking south towards several beach clubs. The building on the pier at left is La Monica Ballroom, which opened in 1924.

Bartlett was a supporter of the Los Angeles Near East Relief Fund. He traveled and photographed internationally on behalf of the fund and lectured locally to promote its work.

The Near East Relief Fund was formed in response to the Armenian Genocide in 1915 and was an unprecedented fundraising effort by America to provide aid to millions of orphaned children.

Motoring in Santa Monica Canyon, circa 1920.

A 1927 exhibition of Bartlett’s work at the Los Angeles Public Library was sponsored by the Santa Monica — Ocean Park Chamber of Commerce, and was intended to advertise, “the natural beauty spots, fine homes and recreational activities of the Bay region."

View of homes off Georgina Avenue.

Two young girls sit atop a cannon in Palisades Park. The Camera Obscura and Santa Monica Pier are visible in the background.

In addition to the Santa Monica History Museum, Bartlett’s work resides in the collections of the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, the Huntington Library, and the Santa Monica Public Library.

His personal papers and photography collection are archived in the Charles E. Young Research Library Special Collections at UCLA.

Original signed prints from the 1927 Los Angeles Public Library exhibition are housed in the Santa Monica History Museum’s collection.