Claude "Pop" Laval

Claude "Pop" Laval
Born	1882 New York City, New York
Died	February 20, 1966 Fresno, California
Nationality	American
Occupation	Photographer

Claude "Pop" Laval (1882– February 20, 1966), often known simply as Pop Laval, was an American Photographer during the first half and middle of the 20th century who specialized in documenting California's San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada mountains, particularly featuring Fresno. As a prolific photographer producing approximately one hundred thousand negatives,^[1] his 55 year legacy features people, and not just scenic photography. Pop Laval Foundation, run by Laval's great-granddaughter, Elizabeth Laval, is seeking to preserve and reintroduce Laval's work to students, history buffs and researchers.

Background

In the early 1900s, Claude "Pop" Laval moved from his home state of Pennsylvania to the rural city of Fresno, California. In pursuit of a career in photography, he invested in new equipment and began documenting various incidents with his camera. His photography also encompassed a wide variety of nature scenes though. In fact, much of his career was spent with the renowned photographer Ansel Adams, as they captured the essence of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Working with Adams taught him how to be meticulous in keeping ledgers and records of all of his photographs. These ledgers have proven to be a source of great insight into the development of California's Central Valley. Laval's photographs portray various aspects of life in the Central Valley, including but not limited to, agricultural practices, city-wide events, family gatherings, and even infrastructural change. As his career progressed, he became a pioneer in movie cameras, which thrust him into a media career. He worked with various news stations to broadcast events in the Central Valley to people throughout the world. Today, his negatives are in the process of being digitized in order to preserve the rich and diverse history of the Central Valley.^[2]

External links

• American Heritage Article

Her daughter is daniele laval

References

1. ^ Alan Duke (2010-07-29). "If not Ansel Adams, then who took garage-sale photos?". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/07/29/ansel.adams.alternatives/index.html?hpt=C1. 
2. ^ Pop Laval Foundation, [1], "About Us"

Persondata
Name	Laval, Claude Pop
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1882
Place of birth	New York City, New York
Date of death	February 20, 1966
Place of death	Fresno, California