"Fawkes' Folly", aerial trolley designed by J.W. Fawkes in Burbank and adorned with flags and decorations, 1907-1910(?)

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Title "Fawkes' Folly", aerial trolley designed by J.W. Fawkes in Burbank and adorned with flags and decorations, 1907-1910(?)

Description Photograph of "Fawkes' Folly", an aerial trolley designed by J.W. Fawkes in Burbank and adorned with flags and decorations, 1907-1910(?). The cigar-shaped trolley is displayed in front of a large crowd. It is attached to an overhead track, which is supported by wooden beams. There are a handful of passengers onboard, including a man playing the double bass. In the rear of the trolley is an American flag. The spectators are well dressed and a majority of them are wearing hats. Several ladies are carrying umbrellas to block the sun. Caption reads: "Aerial Trolley Car Co. Inc., Burbank, Cal., J.W. & E.C. Fawkes, Patentees".; "The population of the town [Burbank] was 500 when the voters approved incorporation in 1911. That same year, civic boosters began a campaign to have the Pacific Electric Streetcar line extended from Glendale into Burbank. The citizens of Burbank had to put up a $48,000 subsidy to get the reluctant P.E. officials to agree. The first Red Car rolled into Burbank on September 6, 1911. Leading the opposition to the public fundraising was J.W. Fawkes, who had patented the first monorail car in the United States. He built a prototype on his Burbank ranch, running a line between Lake and Flower Streets. Fawkes called his invention the 'Aerial Swallow.' City officials, however, called it 'Fawkes' Folly' and the proposed monorail system never materialized." -- unknown author.

Creator Pierce, C.C. (Charles C.), 1861-1946 (photographer)

Publisher University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Date Created 1907/1910

Subject Fawkes, J.W. (subject), Flags (lcsh), Street-railroads (lcsh), Transportation -- Rail -- Street Railroads -- General (Misc. cars) (file heading), transportation features (adlf)

Tags oai:digitallibrary.usc.edu:chs,OAI-PMH Harvest

Place Burbank (city or populated place), California (states), Los Angeles (counties), USA (countries)

Temporal Subject 1907/1910

Type images

Format 2 photographs : glass photonegative, photoprint, b&w ; 21 x 26 cm. (aacr2), glass plate negatives (format), photographic prints (aat), photographs (aat)

Source California Historical Society (contributing entity), California Historical Society Collection, 1860-1960 (collection), Title Insurance and Trust, and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection, 1860-1960 (subcollection)

Repository Email specol@lib.usc.edu

Repository Name USC Libraries Special Collections

Repository Location Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189

Rights Public Domain. Please credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library.

Copyright Public Domain. Please credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library.

Access Conditions Send requests to address or e-mail given

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/chs-m12599

Identifier 5015 (accession number), CHS-5015 (call number), CHS-5015 (filename), chs-m265 (legacy collection record id), chs-c65-12063 (legacy record id), chs-m12599 (legacy record id), USC-1-1-1-12754 (legacy record id), 1-66- (microfiche number), USC (project)

IIIF ID [Document.IIIFV3ID]

DM Record ID 12063

Unique identifier UC131974

Legacy Identifier CHS-5015.tiff

Type Image

Internet Media Type image/tiff

Resolution 18.4 in × 14.8 in at 300dpi
46.8 cm × 37.6 cm at 300dpi

Inherited Values

Title Title Insurance and Trust and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection 1860-1960

Description The nearly 15,000 unique photographs of this collection contain the work of C.C. Pierce which cover the Los Angeles region city, street and architectural views, California Missions, Southwestern Native Americans, and turn-of-century Nevada, Arizona, and California. Pierce, active from 1886 to 1940, was one of the leading photographers of his day and amassed a collection of 15,000 images, including his own and those bought and copied from his contemporaries, George Wharton James and Charles Puck. The James collection contains over 2,000 images of portraits, customs, ceremonies, arts, and games of various groups of Southwestern Native Americans.

Date Created 1860/1960

Linked assets

Title Insurance and Trust and C.C. Pierce Photography Collection 1860-1960

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