Los Angeles has over 227,000 streetlights in over 400 varieties. Streetlights have been a part of the LA cityscape since the 1890s, with an explosion of styles happening in the 1920s.
From Electric Arc lamps all the way through to modern LEDs, plus a continual mixing and matching of various pedestals, columns, and housings, the number of unique lampposts is nearly endless.
Many early streetlamps were highly decorative in nature - they were sources of civic pride. They lined the major commercial boulevards and were put in place in new developments before houses as a way to signal to potential homebuyers that the neighborhood was up-and-coming.
Once you notice them, and have a little information about them, you can start to trace the history of the city by their styles and placements. They are architecture, public art, and historical markers.
Lampposts can be part of a city's code. Depending on their size, height, and design, they can let you know if you're on a major commercial thoroughfare, approaching a busy highway, or in a particular neighborhood.
All drawings shown here are made with Micron 003 archival ink on Bristol Board. They have been scanned and prepped for printing using Photoshop.
