A.W. Elson & Company, Boston was a well known printing and publishing house back in the late 19th Century through the early part of the early 1900’s. The company was owned by Alfred W. Elson (American, c1860-) and was based at 146 Oliver Street, Boston (Belmont, MA) and most of their images were historical scenes, portraits and reproductions of artwork. The company made photogravure plates and were plate printers. They also produced large carbon photographic prints, etchings, engravings and even interestingly enough copper-plate paintings (a original painted upon the etched copperplate, with brush and palette of color, after the manner of an artist painting in oil-colors, and is at one printing, transferred to the sheet). The Company printed for home decoration, museums, schools and colleges, libraries and other types of civic buildings etc, and they prided themselves on having high-quality fadeless and permanent prints known as the "Elson Prints". [1]

Mission San Fernando Rey de España, founded by Father La Suen on September 8, 1797, closed the gap between San Buenaventura on the coast and San Gabriel in the interior. Situated directly on the highway leading to the fast growing community of Los Angles, Mission San Fernando became a popular stopping off place for those traveling on El Camino Real.