When L.A. was smaller and tinted:

Actor, guide, and fly fisherman Darryl Kunitomi dug up a treasure of historic postcards of the Los Angeles area on Image-Archeology.com, which he was generous enough to share this morning, with this note: "Had to send, amazing site with (mostly) 19th Century LA postcards, Echo Park and other views. What a pretty city. Smaller was better."

I happen to love those old tinted, idealized cards, and this site has hundreds -- with chapters dedicated to "Echo Park," "Elysian Park," "Eastlake Park," "Hollenbeck Park," "Calif. Oil Wells," "Lion Farm." In postcard history, places and categories are the same thing. Some of the 27 chapters (read: buttons) double up: A section of pigeon farm postcards, nine images in all, appears like a bonus track at the end of the Elysian Park cards. There are places I had never heard of, like the Japanese Deer Park and the Alligator farm. And then there's Clifton's and movie star homes. Such a trove!**

Pigeon farms? Isn't the world a pigeon farm? Not around the turn of the century in Los Angeles.

As for the Lion Farm, nowadays I think/hope we know better. You'll see what I mean.

*Update: Darryl sent this one, too--Los Angeles Past. It's a lot of fun.

**The site specifies that it is to be used for "personal, non-commercial, educational" purposes only.