Exhibit celebrates impact of black and white

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

Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone and then-President Warren G.

Harding -- sitting outdoors in lounge chairs.

Zschoche said the latter is his personal favorite.

“Four of the most powerful people in the country, and they’re just

sitting there,” he said. “We see them as icons, but this makes you

realize they are regular people.”

He said one of the most striking photographs is a 40-by-30-inch,

pre-Sept. 11 photograph with the Statue of Liberty in the foreground

and the World Trade Center in the background.

“One woman who came in started crying because she lived in New

York during the attacks,” Zschoche said.

A photograph of a popular New York delicatessen is one of the most

popular pieces in the collection, he said.

Zschoche called upon two New York delis to help him kick off the

exhibit on Feb. 24. He ordered a 13-pound cheesecake from the

Carnegie Delicatessen, a revered New York eatery. He also ordered hot

dogs and salami from Katz’s Delicatessen in Manhattan.

Gallery assistant Lela Briggs, a Costa Mesa resident and former

New Yorker, said a constant stream of East Coast visitors have come

through the door since the opening.

She said many of them enjoy looking at the New York architecture.

“You have some of the most beautiful buildings in the world on

display,” she said. “In some parts of Orange County, all the houses

look the same. It’s a treat for some people.”

Zschoche, a graduate of both Orange Coast College and UC Irvine,

said he is planning a trip to New York this summer.

For now, framed images are his only tickets there.

“I like to close my eyes and imagine I’m back in time,” he said.

For information on the exhibit, call (949) 673-4255.

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at

[email protected].