Welcome to Wednesday!
Today I found some Polaroids from October 1965.
I was 9 months old.
These were taken at the home of Francis Lederer who was an old time actor who started his career in the silent films of the 20's and kept right on going all the way through the 1970's. He died in 2000 at the age of 101.
Here is a cool collectors card I found of him when he was in Return of Dracula in the 50's. He was extremely well received in the role.
He was also famous for the house that he built in Canoga Park at the northern end of the San Fernando Valley.
He started it in 1934 with such care and detail taken in every aspect of it's construction that it was considered landmark quality right from the start.
He imported 14th and 15th century Italian and Spanish museum quality art pieces.
He also built a stable on the grounds that in the 1970's was turned into the Canoga Mission Gallery.
The house was damaged in the Northridge earthquake and is still undergoing renovation.
My parents were invited to his house and allowed to take photographs, which ended up including me!
This first shot is of a painting by Alonso Cano who was a 17th century Spanish artist.
(Geez, I hope I am not touching it!)
This painting is entitled "The Black Madonna" painted in 1605 by Juan Villa Fono from Peru
And here my mom and I are standing in front of an alter that was brought in from a 17th century Spanish church.
This is in front of a leaded glass window.
The house was built to look as if it were centuries old.
This is a beautiful carved mirror with candlesticks.
And the last picture is of my mom and I sitting on a burlap type couch with ornate crests sewn to the back.
There is a carved Madonna and child marble statue on the table behind the couch.
On the back of the picture my mother noted that the living room we were in measured 35' x 50' and had a gorgeous view from the arched picture windows.
Hope you all have a really great hump day!
See you soon!!
