| The Factory Photographers |
| The name Dick Whittington appears in quite a few places. It was the Dick Whittington Photo Studio that was responsible for many of the photographs taken inside and directly around the Crown factory on 12th Street itself as well as countless scores of historic photos taken of every subject imaginable in and around Los Angeles starting in the 1930s. Wayne Whittington founded Dick Whittington Studios at 3845 Wisconsin Street near USC. Wayne took the name Dick after a children's story of Dick Whittington and his Cat. The Cat was used as a trademark on business cards and Company stationary. During the 1930's the studio experienced it's greatest growth, hiring up to 27 employees. During WWll they had a Navy contract lasting up to 15 years. From the profits made during the war they built a new facility at 1501 W Olympic Boulevard. In 1958 Wayne turned the business over to his son Ed. The Studio is still working with many of their old clients in Los Angeles. |
| Warren Bowen's photo studio was located at 1333 W Temple Street in Los Angeles, quite a distance from the factory on 12th Street. Aside from the few photos taken by Bowen in and around the factory, the majority of the factory photos we recognize were taken in a residential neighborhood just northeast of the factory and across the Los Angeles River near the intersection of Soto and Olympic Boulevards. This neighborhood has many curving streets so Bowen was always able to get the sun at the proper angle and at the time, the area was well kept and presented a pleasant background for taking photos of factory fresh rigs. From the best that can be told from photos, Bowen began taking photos for Crown in the early 1950s and continued through the early 1980s. It is unknown at the time of this writing whether or not Bowen was under contract with Crown but he did take photos of most, but not all of the Firecoaches produced. |