Thursday, February 23, 2012

Modjeska, more Modjeska, and Mother Murphy

Here's an odd image of famed actress Helena Modjeska (former resident of Anaheim, Modjeska Canyon, Tustin and Newport's Bay Island) puffing away on a cigarette. I just need to Photoshop a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon into her right hand. Oh well, I'm sure the cigarette seemed "sophisticated" at the time.

Modjeska's Standford White-designed 1888 canyon home and its grounds are undergoing some improvements these days. The fountains -- which have been heavily altered over the years -- are currently being restored. The adjacent meadow, which was washed away by floods a couple years ago, has been repaired and stabilized. The entrance gates have been replaced with attractive new wrought iron featuring an "HM" logo taken from Modjeska's stationery. Kudos to the folks at the South County division of O.C. Historic Parks!

Speaking of Modjeska, Dr. Beth Holmgren will be at Katie Wheeler Library in Irvine on April 21st to sign her books, including Starring Madame Modjeska: On Tour In Poland and America. I believe there's some sort of Spring Fair going on at the Modjeska Historical Park and the nearby Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary the following day.
How many people can identify the original source of the image above? (People with the initials CDM, JEL, PKB, and JS are asked not to answer, but are welcome to leave other remarks.) And yes, it's from Orange County.

3 comments:

MIKE COZART said...

Hmmmmm...the art style is VERY Knott's Berry Farm looking, but Rainbow Ridge over at Disneyland had a Mother Murphy's Boarding House...so I'm torn.

Dave Brown said...

Perhaps Dr. I. Will Skinem or someone from his Medicine Show knows?

Allen P said...

The initials and numbers in the lower left hand corner are a dead give away. The numbers represent the file number and the last date revisions were made to the file.