Dan Johnson / Henry Harada

As mentioned previously, I picked up a stack of photos last weekend.

Ilyana was a dress shop located in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Paul R. Williams was working on a major renovation of the hotel at the time. 

Seeing the Dan Johnson chair really piqued my interest. 

The way the arms connect to the top of the seat is slightly different than the one pictured in the shop. The ad is a couple years later than the shop photo so Johnson must have decided on the connected top arms. 

After some digging I discovered the entire shop was designed in 1947-1948, by a 29 year old Dan Johnson. That means all the furniture was most likely designed by Johnson as well.

The textile on the wall is by Angelo Testa. 

My friend John has the same table. He's had it for years and has never been able to figure it out, but Johnson was definitely on the list. It was painted orange when he acquired it. The time period was when Johnson was designing for Hayden Hall of Alhambra and it fits in with what he was doing at the time.

Dan Johnson designs for Hayden Hall, 1947

The house pictured in the ad is Case Study House 17 by Rodney Walker.

Dan Johnson desk for Hayden Hall, 1947

Source: LACMA

Henry Harada was the photographer. 

Born in Yuma, Arizona in 1920, his interest in photography started in high school where he was the yearbook photographer. After Pearl Harbor was attacked Hery was among the many Japanese Americans interned in one of the Poston, Arizona concentration camps. Isamu Noguchi was also internen at Poston. Henry was eventually allowed to leave the camp when he found employment in Ohio. While there he was drafted by the Army and was on his way to Europe as the Germans surrendered. He was then reassigned to the War Department Language School at Fort Snelling, Minnesota to learn Japanese. While serving in the Military Intelligence Service, he went to Japan and the Philippines photographing convicted Japanese prisoners of war. 

After the war he was employed at Columbia Records for short time and then enrolled at Art Center College of Design in their photographic department. He graduated in 1949.

His career eventually led him into managerial roles in the photography departments at various defense contractors. In retirement he taught photography part-time at El Camino College.

The late 1940s photos by Harada also included some work for Morris of California.