Imagine you are at Rancho Los Cerritos in 1876 celebrating the 100th birthday of the United States with the Bixby family. As the evening approaches you are sitting with Sarah Bixby Smith waiting for the sky to be enveloped in a glorious display of “sky-rockets.” The Fourth of July is one of the most important[…]
Celebrating Independence Day at Rancho Los Cerritos
By Curatorial Intern Uncategorized Jun 29, 2021
The 1930s in Long Beach, California
By Curatorial Intern Uncategorized Apr 05, 2021
The period of the 1930s in America was a tumultuous one. The nationwide economic crisis that resulted from the stock market crash in 1929 was affecting families across the country. After being elected in 1932, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) began implementing his New Deal programs to benefit the country, with varying results. The Great[…]
New Exhibit Tea Through Time Opens Online
By Curatorial Intern exhibits, history May 12, 2020
Tea through Time at Rancho Los Cerritos is the latest Rancho Los Cerritos exhibit, curated by Arts Council for Long Beach intern Anthony Smyers. For the first time in Rancho history, this exhibit will have its opening online. Find the exhibit here: https://www.rancholoscerritos.org/tea-through-time-exhibit/. Since 1844, many different people have passed through the doors of Rancho Los[…]
Status, Style, and Culture: Interpretation of the 1870s Parlor and the 1931 Living Room
By Curatorial Intern history, Long Beach Dec 20, 2018
During the Victorian era, the parlor was the front room of every middle and high-class homes and for some, used exclusively to receive and entertain guest and for others, used as an environment for family intimacy. The parlor was the reflection of who the family was and therefore a lot of money and thought went[…]
Reading and Writing Essentials of the 19th and Early 20th Century
By Curatorial Intern Long Beach, Visitor Information Aug 16, 2018
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, a variety of objects were used to compliment the activities of reading and writing. The Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th century influenced the use of elegant feminine designs on certain implements. These essentials were richly ornamented and beautifully made with creative craftsmanship and unique designs. The[…]
Rancho Los Cerritos During the Great Depression
By Curatorial Intern history Jun 13, 2018
The Bixby family owned and operated Rancho Los Cerritos as a sheep ranch, starting in 1866. Sheep raising continued until at least 1886, but as the ranch business was evolving additional portions of the land were gradually sold off. Llewellyn Bixby, Sr. purchased the then deteriorating Rancho Los Cerritos adobe and surrounding 4.74 acres from[…]
Keeping up with hair trends in the Victorian Era
By Curatorial Intern history May 21, 2018
It was very popular during the Victorian Era to make and wear jewelry out of a loved one’s hair. In Europe and the U.S., a lot of women made elaborate wreaths, necklaces, bracelets and all sorts of pieces out of hair and wire, often with floral designs. Wreaths made from the hair of one deceased[…]
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft
By Curatorial Intern history Sep 26, 2017
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft spans thirty-nine volumes and details four hundred years of history in the western hemisphere, from Alaska to Panama. The volumes in the Rancho’s collection range in date from 1883 to 1890. These nineteenth century books are bound in sheepskin and imprinted with the name J. Bixby at the bottom[…]
The Writings of Anne Bixby Chamberlin
By Curatorial Intern history Jul 18, 2017
When guests visit Rancho Los Cerritos in Long Beach today, they often hear docents talk about Sarah Bixby Smith. She was one of the nieces of Jotham Bixby. She would often spend summers at the Rancho. Her popularity now is due to her work, Adobe Days, which gave a plethora of information about the Bixby’s[…]
The Voyage of Life: A Bixby and American Treasure Preserved at RLC
By Curatorial Intern Uncategorized Jul 11, 2017
The Voyage of Life, a series of four photographic prints, is prominently displayed in the Rancho Los Cerritos parlor today. These black and white prints are copies of an original set of color lithographs, based on a cycle of paintings by Thomas Cole. Cole is considered the founder of the Hudson River School, a group[…]