Elia Powers
Orange County could be called New York West. Not for its climate or
density or selection of pizza, but for its significant population of
Northeast transplants.
So you could say Michael Zschoche is catering to his audience with
a current exhibit featuring historical, black-and-white photographs
from the archives of the New York Times.
Zschoche, the owner of MJW Fine Art gallery on Balboa Island,
opened a national edition of the Times last summer to find a listing
of original prints available for display. Now, for the first time
during his five-year ownership, he has made photography the focus of
his gallery.
The exhibit, "Live With History," is one of two simultaneous
traveling shows of the Times' archived photographs. Zschoche has
custody of the collection until March 27, and patrons can purchase
photographs through the gallery, starting at $195.
In past years, Zschoche had resorted to placing motorcycles near
the window to attract a younger audience.
That's no longer the case.
Though the vehicles still sit inside the studio, photographs of
such images as Seabiscuit sprinting to the finish line are helping to
attract visitors of all ages, Zschoche said.
"We're getting a more diverse crowd and more foot traffic
overall," he said. "There's a distinct emotion that black-and-white
photos capture. You can get a sense of what it's like to have lived
in a different time period."
A total of about 60 prints fill two walls of the gallery. The
images, depicting life during the past two centuries, include light
shining through windows at Grand Central Terminal in 1935, the
Titanic leaving port in 1912, Abraham Lincoln standing outside tents
at Antietam in 1862 and Jackie Robinson stealing home plate at a game
at Ebbets Field in 1952.
In the gallery, the black-and-white photographs rest below a row
of color paintings on the wall.
"It's an eclectic mix," said Corona del Mar resident and gallery
patron Chip Robinson. "They have a good balance now with this
exhibit."
"Live With History" displays the work of prominent photographers,
most of whom were Times employees. The majority of the prints come
from the Times' seven million-plus photo collection. Others are from
the New-York Historical Society and the Museum of the City of New
York.
While the exhibit has a decidedly New York focus, other locales
are on display as well. One photograph illustrates the construction
of the Eiffel Tower. Another shows four prominent Americans -- Henry
