Familypedia
Advertisement
Louis S. Slevin
L. S. Slevin
L. S. Slevin, (1916)
Birth name Louis Stanislaus Slevin
Born November 07, 1878(1878-11-07)
San Francisco, California, US
Died November 09, 1945 (age 67)
San Jose, California, US
Nationality United States American
Field Photography
Elected City treasurer

Louis Stanislaus Slevin, (November 7, 1878 – November 9, 1945), also known as L. S. Slevin, was a American photographer, known for his black-and-white images of the Monterey Peninsula. He was a pioneer in the early days of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, the first to open a general merchandise store in 1905, the first postmaster, first express agent, and first city treasurer.His photographs of Carmel from 1903 to 1835 are recognized as a record of Carmel's past.[1] His photo collection is housed at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Early life[]

Slevin was born on November 7, 1878, in San Francisco, California. He was the son of Thomas Edwards Slevin (1836-1894) and Marie Claire Bruguierre (1854-1927). He lived with his parents and two brothers on California Street in San Francisco. He married Mabel O'Connell on December 15, 1909, in Monterey, California had one son and one daughter.[2][3]

Career[]

L. S

The L. S. Slevin's general merchandise store in 1905.

Slevin moved to Carmel ca. 1903 where he and his wife and two children built their home on Carmelo Street between Sixth and Ocean Avenues. That same year, they bought a lot for $325 (equivalent to $8,730 in 2025) on Ocean Avenue and between Dolores and Lincoln Streets, where Slevin built a general merchandise store in March 1904. The wood-framed Western false-front style store[4] included curios, stationary, magazines, photographic supplies, and fishing tackle.

From 1904 to 1915, he was Carmel's first postmaster and express agent in Carmel. He had lock boxes for mail that those on horseback could "ride up, insert their key into a locked box, remove their mail and ride off."[1] He was one the earliest registered voters in Carmel and voted for the Republican Party.[5][2][6][7]

Old timer in Carmel. "Artists' Supplies" has hung outside his door these many years. We used to trail up to his place for our Sunday papers, pick up our choice from the stoop and drop our nickels through the slit in the door. Noted stamp collector. Also beetles. Thirty thousand of the latter he collected and tagged, then shipped to Calif. Academy of Science at San Francisco, now a famous collection. Photographer of Carmel's beauties (Scenic).
Carmel Pine Cone[8]

Slevin was a supporter of the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club where he served as treasurer and director.[1] He photographed the California State Fairs, the King City bridge, festivals at Carmel Mission, abandoned mines, fauna near Paso Robles, California, and settlements at Paraiso Springs. He displayed his photographs at the Carmel Annual Exhibitions in 1913, 1919, and 1920. His first public exhibition in Carmel was sponsored by the Wallace Johnsons in 1905, which was reviewed in the San Francisco Chronicle, that he had "some particularly good photographs."[9] He was the manager of the Carmel News Company, where he sold artist materials, fishing tackle, and photo post cards of Carmel, Big Sur, and Salinas.[10][2][11]

In 1919 and 1925 he was elected secretary-treasurer of the local Manzanita Club and served as chairman of the committee for the restoration of the Carmel Mission. He was the official Carmel City Treasurer for ten years.[7] He established a printing photograph business for amateur photographers. In 1930, he was elected a life member of the California Academy of Sciences for the donation of 30,000 moths collected on the Monterey Peninsula over twenty years. For over thirty years, he photographed a series of photographs of Monterey Cypress trees at Point Lobos. He was a member of the Monterey History and Art Association.

Slevin was a writer and many of his writings appeared in local and Monterey publications, including his historical writings on sailing ships.[1]

Slevin sold his business in November 1939 to Mary Louise (Pearce) Dummage (1870-1952), who was one Carmel's' first residents, and she owned the Mary Dummage Shop. He moved to San Jose, California in September 1942 and purchased a home at 750 South Eighth Street. When his health began to fail, he moved to the Casa Bella Sanitorum in Saratoga, California. At this time he gave his original photographs plates (between 80-150) to his friends that are now on file at Bancroft Library.[1]

In 1945, Slevin wrote a series of articles for the Carmel Pine Cone about the early days of Carmel-by-the-Sea.[6] One was titled "Carmel-Infancy to Adolescence," that was about Santiago J. Duckworth's real estate promotions for "Carmel City" in 1888; James Franklin Devendorf and the Carmel Development Company, and other historical figures.[12][2]

Publications[]

Death[]

Slevin died on November 9, 1945, in San Jose, at the age of 67. He was buried at the San Carlos Cemetery in Monterey, California.[6][13]

Gallery[]

See also[]

  • Timeline of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

External links[]

Commons-logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Hale, Sharron Lee (1980). A tribute to yesterday: The history of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros. Santa Cruz, California. p. 25-26. ISBN 9780913548738. https://archive.org/details/tributetoyesterd0000hale/page/24/mode/2up?q=%22Louis+Slevin%22. 
  2. ^ a b c d "Untitled". tfaoi.org. p. 628. https://tfaoi.org/cm/10cm/10cm123.pdf. 
  3. ^ "Historical Information for Louis Stanislaus Slevin". https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LTN3-TF4. 
  4. ^ Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 15-16, 43, 45. ISBN 9780738547053. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Carmel/vsfoKsxi4q4C?hl=en&gbpv=1. 
  5. ^ "Of Interest To People Of The Pacific Coast". The San Francisco Call (San Francisco, California): p. 2. 28 Sep 1904. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105109444/postmaster/. 
  6. ^ a b c "Louis Slevin". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1945-11-23. p. 2. https://archive.org/details/ccarm_002617/page/n1/mode/2up?q=%22Louis+S.+Slevin%22+1945. 
  7. ^ a b Hudson, Monica (2006). Carmel-By-The-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 23, 25, 30, 32-33, 39, 42-43, 46, 120. ISBN 9780738531229. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Carmel_by_the_sea/aiDfTQBUJOgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Slevin. 
  8. ^ "Who's Who-and Here". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1928-12-14. pp. 9–15. https://archive.org/details/ccarm_001733/page/n5/mode/2up?q=%22Heron%22. 
  9. ^ "Art Notes". San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California): p. 40. 23 Jul 1905. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105109672/public-exhibiton/. 
  10. ^ "Carmel News Co.". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1915-06-23. p. 2. https://archive.org/details/ccarm_001033/page/n1/mode/2up?q=%22L.+S.+Slevin%22. 
  11. ^ Bogdan, Robert; Weseloh, Todd (2006). Real Photo Postcard Guide The People’s Photography. p. 253. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Real_Photo_Postcard_Guide/KcWz_w_SinsC?hl=en&gbpv=1. 
  12. ^ "Carmel News Co.". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1945-01-09. p. 8. https://archive.org/details/ccarm_002572/page/n7/mode/2up?q=%22by+L.+S.+Slevin%22. 
  13. ^ "Louis S. Slevin (1878 - 1945) - Historical Marker". www.findagrave.com. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113630983/. 


Category:1878 births Category:1945 deaths Category:Photographers from San Francisco Category:Photographers from California

Advertisement