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| Mary's residence at 1519 N. Western Avenue in Hollywood. |
Just about everyone knows about Pickfair in Beverly Hills, but over the years, Mary rented/leased many different houses throughout the Los Angeles area—sadly, most of which since demolished. One such place Mary called home, at least from 1917 to 1918, was 1519 N. Western Avenue, just off Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
The house was built in 1912 by Hollywood businessman / banker E. F. Bogardus who seems to be the one that was leasing it out. Before Mary, the house was leased by Geraldine Farrar. Afterwards, we can assume others, but in 1924 it was acquired by the Hollywood Military Academy. There were subsequently several other owners after the Academy but the house was ultimately demolished sometime during the late-50s / early-60s.
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| ca. 1918 oblique aerial. (Photo courtesy of USC Libraries / CHS.) |
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| 1921 Sanborn Fire Insurance map. (Map courtesy of LOC.) |
It was this very house at which occurred the "french maid hatpin attack" against Mary's sister Lottie (though some accounts erroneously note that it was Mary that was attacked.) Perhaps the best and most entertaining description of the incident can be found in the August 2, 1917 issue of the Los Angeles Times:
“A rebellious French maid defied the entire Pickford family—Mary, Lottie, their mother, a gardener and three chauffeurs—yesterday afternoon and refused to be dismissed until police reserves arrived from Hollywood Police Station. The maid emphasized her defiant stand with an occasional hatpin poke at the two film stars
“Katherine Lipkine arrived recently from France. She could speak little English. Mary Pickford, her mother and her sister Lottie, at their home, No. 1519 North Western avenue, were discussing a mean little girl in the neighborhood and the maid thought the critical remarks were meant for her. A quarrel followed, and Mary told the maid she was ‘fired.’
“The maid refused to go and, according to Mary, she attacked Lottie Pickford with a hatpin. One of the chauffeurs ran to the rescue and also was attacked but he succeeded in carrying the maid into the back yard. Two other chauffeurs and a gardener corralled her in a corner and held her at bay until Officer Bradley arrived. Mary gave the discharged maid her wages and added a $5 bonus for finally permitting herself to be ‘fired.’”
This house is deserving of additional special attention because the property—both inside and outside—also set the backdrop for a quite a few of Mary's non-studio portraits, most notably many popular photos by Hartsook.
It seems that this has never been documented, at least that I could find, so I decided to create this brief photo-driven writeup. The purpose here is not to document the complete history of the house or to present a definitive list of photos taken there. It is simply to share some observations and to show just a few examples of said portraits. With the information provided, spotting the other photos is easy (at least, sometimes.)
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Left: Mary at the southeast corner. Right: Mary along the east (front) elevation with the same southeast corner behind her, albeit from another direction. The front door, with its giant knocker that appears in several photos, is just to the right.
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| Left: Mary, seemingly with sun in her eyes, along the south elevation, again with the southeast corner behind her and again from a different direction. Right: Mary at the west (rear) elevation with part of the vine-covered chimney showing. |
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| Mary, one of her several chauffeurs—one can wonder if perhaps he might be the one that thwarted the hat pin attacks—and a wider view of the west (rear) elevation. The same french doors seen previously are on the right. Photo by Hartsook. (Photo courtesy of the internet at large.) |
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| Top Left: Mary and Owen Moore. There are also many photos of the two "golfing" on the property. Bottom Left: Mrs. Moore (Owen's mother,) Mary, and Mrs. Pickford (Mary's mother.) Right: Mary posing on a ladder with a paint can and brush (no doubt without painting a stroke!) Photographer unknown. (Photos courtesy of A.M.P.A.S. / Margaret Herrick Library.) |
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| It seems this series of photos, including several of Mary posing with Lottie's daughter, Gwynne Rupp, were likely taken on the property though the precise location is not clear due to the non-descript nature of the background. |
A large variety of Mary's Hartsook portraits were also taken inside the house. I have conclusively identified several such series—about a couple dozen photos—by comparing Mary's hair, wallpaper, curtains, and other furnishings. It seems quite evident, to me at least, that many other Hartsooks were likewise taken there but I simply can't prove it (as seemingly clear as those might be, I am a stickler for proof so they are not not even mentioned here.)
This is a work in progress.
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These portraits, and their associated photos, were all taken inside 1519 N. Western Ave. and show the house. (Photo four courtesy of LOC.)
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