[Two Unidentified Women]

The front of this studio portrait is stamped with the addresses of the two photographers' studios, both in Los Angeles and a short distance from one another. Blanchard and Konold worked together for a short period in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The sitters were most likely residents of Los Angeles, which was a relatively tolerant city when this photograph was taken. Blacks would have been able to live anywhere in the city before restrictive racial covenants were enacted and enforced, and would not have faced discriminatory employment practices. However, this changed starting in the 1910s, when racism prevalent in other parts of the country became commonplace in Los Angeles as well.