Picture postcard, "Mission Play Theatre Garden San Gabriel, California": Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This postcard view of the Mission Play and Theatre Garden was printed by the Van Ornum Colorprint Company (1908-1921) and the M. Kashower Company (1914-1934) in Los Angeles, Calif. using photomechanical processes. The companies are examples of the many picture postcard publishing companies producing California landmark scenes during this period.

Dedicated on March 5th, 1927, the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse was originally established as the venue for the Mission Play by John Steven McGroarty. It tells the story of the founding of the California missions by Franciscan priests led by Fr. Junípero Serra.

Today the facility in San Gabriel continues to serve as a setting for a variety of cultural activities.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1908-1921
• graphic artist: Van Ornum Colorprint Co.
• graphic artist: M. Kashower Co.
• Object Name: postcard
• Object Type: Photomechanical Relief Processes
• Object Type: Photomechanical Lithographic Processes
• Other Terms: postcard; Halftone
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Physical Description: ink (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 9.5 cm x 14 cm; 3 3/4 in x 5 1/2 in
• place made: United States: California, Los Angeles
• associated place: United States: California
• ID Number: 1986.0639.0504
• accession number: 1986.0639
• catalog number: 1986.639.0504
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.