Marquez Collection photographs at the Huntington Library

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens has purchased the photographic trove of Ernest Marquez, a descendant of Mexican land grantees who owned the land that became Pacific Palisades, Rustic and Santa Monica canyons and a portion of Santa Monica. Amassed over 50 years, the 4,600-image collection includes rare photos of 1870s Santa Monica and Los Angeles and “is the best and most comprehensive collection of its kind in private hands,” said Jennifer A. Watts, curator of photographs.