Most of the photos on this site were extracted from reference images (high-resolution tiffs, 20 to 200 megabytes in size) from the Library of Congress research archive. (To query the database click here.) Many were digitized by LOC contractors using a Sinar studio back. They are adjusted by your webmaster for contrast and color in Photoshop before being downsized and turned into the jpegs you see here.

Catalina Island, California, circa 1910. "Harbor and Aquarium at Avalon Bay." 5x7 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Google Maps / Panoramio provide plenty of present-day views from the same spot, this one seems to be the closest:

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