Collections & Research

Historic postcard with photograph of red electric car with people standing in front. Early 1900s.

Explore the Archive

The LJHS Collections encompass over 80 years of actively collecting and preserving archival material, books, ephemera, and objects. Staff and interns are working on an archival cataloging project that will make the Collection more accessible to the public. Currently, you may access a preliminary list of LJHS's holdings at the Online Archive of California. Check back soon for exciting visual connections and digital research possibilities with La Jolla's impressive history through the LJHS Collection!

Research appointment request

Collections Use and Reproduction Fees


Staff and Intern Highlights

FROM THE COLLECTION

Theater Program

The play "Angel Street" was presented at the La Jolla Playhouse in 1947 by The Actors' Company, which was headed up by La Jolla native Gregory Peck.

Time Magazine

La Jolla’s historic philanthropist, Ellen Browning Scripps, on the cover, 1926.

Photograph

Harold Kramer’s Mobil gas station, c1960s.

Love Letter

Written by Max Heinrich to his wife, Anna Held of the Green Dragon Colony, 1904.

Architectural Sketch

Hand-drawn by William Templeton Johnson and Harold Abrams, the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, 1946.

Inspire! Grants for Small Museums

The cataloging of the Collection enabling accessibility to the public is made possible through the generous of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Two grants have enabled funding for five paid student interns hired from local university history departments since 2019.