A showcase of found history

Decades ago, Richard Bagley had somewhat of an unusual hobby.

The longtime Costa Mesa resident would routinely attend the collectors’ swap meet in Orange Coast College’s parking lot, sifting through shoe boxes, albums and other collections from estate sales.

Bagley, then a janitor for the school district, spent years hunting for old photos. He acquired thousands of them, many depicting glimpses of the past in places or people unknown, long forgotten. He eventually donated them to various historical societies, including Costa Mesa’s.

Now, a select few of those prints are back at OCC, this time out of the boxes and with renewed purpose in a new Costa Mesa Historical Society exhibition titled “Gems From a Shoebox.”

For historical society volunteer Art Goddard, who chose the 40 “rescued” photos on display, they’re great examples of photography as art and will educate new generations of photography students.

“I wanted them to see the light of day somehow,” he said.

Many are prime examples of excellent composition, point of view, depth of field — “those things don’t change” despite today’s technological advancements, Goddard noted

During a reception Wednesday, Goddard pointed to one his favorite prints, which he called “Reality Check.” It’s a photo of a toddler, decked from the neck down in a tiny poncho. The child — looking straight at the camera and wide-eyed, perhaps feeling a little nervous — is standing starkly alone in what looks to be a bank or municipal building. Like most of the photos on display, it was taken sometime in the early 20th century.

For Goddard, he sees the young child as vulnerable, surrounded by hard surfaces but wearing a soft poncho. It’s a powerful image, yet “maybe it wasn’t intended to be,” he said. “Maybe it was an accident.”

The photos tell lighter stories too. Take, for instance, “Zoma,” the “625-pound, huge cannibal girl.”

“The comment I get regularly is that she isn’t 625 pounds,” Goddard said with a smile.

Then there’s a fun moment depicted in “Summer’s Reward”: a man and woman eating watermelon outside, possibly on a farm in the heat.

The historical society is hoping that, against all odds, someone may stop by the exhibit and coincidentally be able to identify the men and women in the photos.

“Gems From a Shoebox” runs through April 17 in the second floor of OCC’s Art Center, near Parking Lot D, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Admission is free.

For more information, call (949) 631-5918.