Kitsch-culture archivist-humorist-author and ""histo-tainer"" Charles Phoenix has always been fascinated with Americana. As a kid growing up in Ontario, California in the '60s and '70s, he became interested in '50s cars while visiting his dad's used car lots. From there his interests grew to art, fashion and architecture. After moving to Los Angeles in 1982 and enjoying a career in design, he began collecting and trading classic American cars. Success with the cars inspired him to pursue his passion for collecting and trading Americana full-time. Between combing town and country for cars and other classic treasures, he discovered vintage amateur family and travel 35mm slides and 8mm home-movie photography at thrift shops and flea markets. After ten years of collecting ""orphaned"" 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s family slides, his archive contains more than 200,000 slides.
