Pasadena Museum of History

08/27/2026

Pasadena Palette: Benjamin Chambers Brown, “California Poppies” (circa 1920), oil on canvas

Today we feature one of the gems of the Fényes-Curtin-Paloheimo Collection in celebration of August’s traditional flower, the poppy. Brown’s exquisite “California Poppies” is displayed year ‘round in the Fényes Mansion. For our Pasadena Palette exhibition, we have brought this work into the gallery, offering visitors the opportunity for a closer look at a work that, along with Brown’s other landscapes, helped establish the region’s reputation as a center for plein-air painting.

Brown maintained a long friendship with Eva Fényes, a former student who later became an important art patron. The two painted together and her collection ultimately included over a dozen of his works.

Pasadena Palette is open 12 Noon to 5 PM Thursdays through Sundays. Please visit the museum's website for additional information.

08/25/2026

Read all about it - and then make your reservations today!

Waitresses and motel operators were the visible ones. Cheryl Eichar Jett went looking for the architects, designers, artists and public officials. Jett presents “Aprons Away: Women’s Work on Route 66” at the Pasadena Museum of History on Thursday, August 27, at 7 p.m. The talk draws on her boo...

08/19/2026

August 19 is World Photography Day. This year’s theme is “home” — encouraging photographers to capture personal spaces, memories, cultural roots, and emotional connections.

This photo of Astro Hotel Pasadena signage is one of many familiar – and nostalgic - images on view in our current exhibition “Where History Meets the Road: Celebrating Route 66 & Colorado Boulevard.” Fortunately, this is still a familiar sight to those who live in and travel through Pasadena. The renovated hotel is still in operation and it's original Googie architecture was restored in 2016.

The Route 66/Colorado Boulevard exhibition is open Thursdays through Sundays from 12 Noon to 5 PM through January 24, 2027.

08/12/2026

Step into our Parlor - but hurry!

Only 3 more evening tours of the Fenyes Mansion will be offered this year. Enjoy the elegant mansion as Eva Fenyes' guests would have seen it as they arrived for one of her much sought-after soirees. The waning day's long shadows and softer illumination work their magic on the historic residence’s architectural details, antique furnishings, and important works of art.

The final Twilight Tours for 2026 will be offered at 7:00-8:30 pm this Thursday and Friday, August 13 & 14, and Friday, August 21. Advance tickets ($20 general; $10 members) are required. Please visit the Events Calendar on the Museum's website for ticketing.

08/05/2026

Pasadena Palette: Al Jackson, Portrait of Charles White, oil on canvas; Portrait of Richmond Barthé, oil on canvas; Portrait of Ruby McKnight Williams, oil on canvas

August is Appreciation Month and Black Business Month – a perfect time to spotlight our exhibition “Pasadena Palette: Selections from Pasadena Museum of History’s Collections” and especially the trio of portraits on view by artist Al Jackson.

Al Jackson was commissioned by several organizations to paint over 20 portraits of prominent African Americans from Altadena and Pasadena. They were first exhibited at PMH in 1988; three of these works are displayed in “Pasadena Palette.” Jackson’s works celebrate individuals who contributed significantly to their community through leadership, talent, and pioneering spirit.

Charles White (1918-1979) is recognized as one of the 20th century's most influential African American artists. His powerful drawings, paintings, and prints portray the dignity, struggles, and resilience of Black life in America. White studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the Art Students League of New York. He moved to Southern California in 1956, where he and his wife, Elizabeth Catlett, shared a home and studio in the Altadena foothills.

Richmond Barthé (1901-1989), one of the most important African American sculptors of the 20th century, focused on the expressive qualities of the human figure, exploring themes of spirituality, movement, and the cultural life of the African diaspora. He moved to Southern California in the late 1940s, becoming a prominent member of the vibrant community of Altadena artists, writers and intellectuals.

Ruby McKnight Williams (1895-1999) was a community leader and civil rights activist whose work profoundly shaped the social and civic life of Altadena and Pasadena during the 20th century. Denied a teaching job because of her skin color, she became a tireless advocate for civil rights, serving multiple terms as President of the Pasadena NAACP, which continues to honor her through the Ruby McKnight Award, which has been presented to individuals who demonstrate excellence in community service since 1958.

07/27/2026

Our exhibition "Where History Meets the Road: Celebrating Route 66 and Colorado Boulevard" brings back fond memories for many of our visitors. We're thrilled that Robert W. Fair, who was born in Canada and moved to California in the summer of 1956 via Route 66, shared his memory and photo from 1959:

"I was the winner of the bicycle given away at the Academy Theater on Colorado [Boulevard] at the Easter Vacation Special Screening of the "Forbidden Planet" movie with Robbie the Robot in 1959. I lived on California Street three blocks east of Lake. I took Catalina Street home where my father Jack Fair was coming to pick me up after the movie. When he saw the new bicycle, he thought it belonged to the young friend who was walking with me while I was riding. The friend assured my father I had won the bicycle. I was a Star News delivery boy until we moved to Altadena. I rode my new bike to school at Allendale Elementary until we moved."

We’d love to see your pictures and hear your tales of adventure on “America’s highway” and our own famed Colorado Boulevard. Tag PMH ( ) on social media and take your place in local history.

07/23/2026

What was a road trip like before Route 66?

Morgan Yates, the Automobile Club of Southern California's Archivist and Historian, will illustrate the uncertainty and adventure of early auto travel this Saturday, July 25, at5:00 pm. Presented jointly by The Gamble House and Pasadena Museum of History, the program takes place at the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church at the northwest corner of Walnut Street and Orange Grove Boulevard. Tickets ($20 General; $15 Members) are available online; visit the Events listing at pasadenahistory.org for a link and discount code.

Image: Beale’s Cut through Newhall Pass, in what is now Santa Clarita, c. 1910s.

07/09/2026

Join PMH Curator Julia Long this Saturday, July 11, at 10:00 am for a walking tour of Colorado Boulevard in the Playhouse Village as we explore Route 66 and car culture In Pasadena.

Playhouse Village was developed as a commercial district in the 1920s when automobile ownership was rising rapidly across the country. Many of its buildings represent important milestones in car culture, including the first parking garage in the city and a luxury car dealership catering to the Golden Age of Hollywood.

This tour will start at 585 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91101 (in front of Pasadena Presbyterian Church) and end on Colorado Blvd. & S. Lake Avenue. Spaces are limited and advance reservations are required; for ticketing information visit the Museum website's Event section.

Image: Don Lee Cadillac & La Salle Dealership, 655 E. Green Street, n.d.; Now Jacob Maarse Floral Designs; PMH T8-56.

07/03/2026

As we begin our celebrations of the USA's 250th Anniversary, we delve into the PMH archives for an image of fireworks at the Rose Bowl on July 4, 1976 -- our nation's 200th anniversary.

This, and 249 additional photos of Pasadena through the years, are now available in the just-launched online exhibition "Pasadena in Pictures: Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary" on the Pasadena Digital History Collaboration (PDHC). Images from the collections of the Pasadena Public Library, Pasadena Museum of History, and Pasadena City College feature broad theme categories - Celebration, Conflict, Education, Presidential Visits, Science, Slices of American Life, Social Movements and Sports - to illustrate Pasadena’s development as a city and as an integral part of the nation’s history: Online visitors are invited to travel through time in the Crown City, discovering through these historic photos and accompanying captions how our city is both a typical and exceptional part of Americana.

You can view the exhibition at pasadenadigitalhistory.com. Happy Independence Day!

06/22/2026

Pasadena Palette: Arthur Egeli, “Moments Before,” 2000; oil on canvas; Gift of Leslie Smith Zasa, 2023

We continue a series spotlighting the 40 art treasures currently on display in “Pasadena Palette: Selections from the Museum’s Collections.” The exhibition is open Thursdays through Sundays from 12-5 pm.

June is a month filled with weddings. Many couples choose scenic locales to enhance their nuptials, and in Southern California beach settings are among the most popular. This intimate yet dramatic depiction of a bride surrounded by her bridesmaids on a cliff overlooking the ocean (possibly the Malibu coastline) is characteristic of Arthur Egeli’s work. Born Arthur Bjorn Egeli in Valley Lee Maryland, on April 2, 1964, Egeli comes from a multi-generational family of distinguished artists. He studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and is an Artist Member of the California Art Club.

In addition to his work in oils, Egeli is a gallery owner and independent filmmaker. His 2024 film, “Art Thief,” was inspired by the true story of the 1990 robbery from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.