California Today

Newly Digitized Photos Reveal Intimate Life of Malibu's Rindge Family

12 June 2026 12:30

A newly digitized collection of photographs from Pepperdine University reveals the private, joyful life of the Rindge family, who owned Malibu for decades. - The Rindges, led by Frederick Hastings Rindge and his wife May, acquired the Malibu Rancho in 1892 and kept it largely off-limits to the public.

- The candid photos show the family riding horses, picnicking, swimming, and enjoying the ranch, contradicting earlier stiff portraits. - May Rindge, a fierce protector of the land, fought railroads and the coast highway to preserve the family's private paradise.

- The collection, including photos of daughter Rhoda and her love of animals, offers a rare window into a vanished era of California history.

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CanyonMalibuhistoryphotographyculture