Exhibit a Snapshot of Early Simi

Visitors to the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center no doubt appreciated the recent exhibition of images from Horace Bristol’s Dustbowl-era photo essay that ended a few days ago. Fine as it was, though, Bristol’s work has been seen with increasing regularity around the county of late, almost to the point of saturation.

The real revelation--and one of the most fascinating shows in the county at the moment--is the roomful of photographs by John Sparhawk Appleton in the lower gallery. Appleton’s images, reproduced by great-grandson Bill Appleton, provide a kind of artistic-cum-historical statement. They reveal the texture of life and the land in the early agricultural days of Simi Valley, a spacious place of arid terrain, large family spreads and odd rock formations.

The pictures, taken with a 4-by-5 camera by the farmer who settled here in 1887, are often visually striking. Appleton may not have had art in mind, but his images often reveal accidental wonders, an incisive compositional eye and shocking clarity.

Family members are often seen in strange, dream-like relationships to the surrounding vegetation. In one unintentionally funny shot, John and Laura Appleton pose in front of a century cactus, affecting casualness. Son Joseph, fuzzy of focus, stands like an afterthought amid huge, crisply focused gourds while, in another shot, dog Ned looks proprietary in a melon patch.

Overall, the Appleton show is well worth seeking out as a fine example of home-grown amateur photography that has weathered the test of time and artistry.

* Photography of John Sparhawk Appleton, through March 31 at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center, 3050 Los Angeles Ave. in Simi Valley; 581-2714.