wear some flowers in your hair

okay, yes. it's california. i tried to find like literature on florida but it wasn't much there. my guess is because the push for population and tourists was earlier, so you're still getting a bit of the "victorian" look in the illustrations. and also, possibly, because the florida population tends latin as california tends asian. in any case, here we are again, drenched in beauty.

the more i look into this stuff the more i realize there's this other effect to the japonisme exposure that i haven't discussed enough, and that may be among the most important effects of all.

that is that the line between "artist" and "illustrator" has all but disappeared. toulouse- lautrec: which is he? steinlen? bonnard? names far less

familiar to us now, men who became "california impressionists": maurice logan, harold von schmidt (both pictured here), pedro de lemos, and so many more; these men (the ones i mention here) and others did magazine covers, and ads, and travel brochures, and fine oils and woodblock prints. they were the generation of students of the first wave of california impressionists (wendt, braun), who were the students of the first impres- sionists; and they were the teachers of the next generation, the artists painting and teaching today.

and the same is true, the line was gone, in the works, those tremendously influential works, of the japanese.

california dreaming

as we've seen, the principles of design learned from the japa- nese prints were used heavily in travel post- ers. the train was new, as was the middle class, a group with the ability to do some traveling.

one geographical area that pushed it to the limit was california. in their competition with florida* for tourist dol- lars, and for their need to populate the state, they created 'california is calling you,' an image


of an arena so golden, so spiritually uplifting, and with so many possibilities for joy that it was an irresistible dream for many.

some of those dreamers were masters of the fine arts who were drawn to california's promise (some from as far away as germany): william wendt, maurice braun, frank morley fletcher, and more. together, many of them formed the movement called the 'california impressionists.'

many felt that their work often had a very similar feel to the promotional artwork, which only demonstrates the level of beauty in the promotional materials, and points to the stars in the eyes of those who responded when california beckoned.

CALIFORNIA HERE I COME
(Al Jolson / Bud De Sylva / Joseph Meyer)

1ST VERSE
When the wintry winds are blowing and the snow is starting in to fall,
then my eyes turn west-ward, knowing that's the place I love the best of all.
California , I've been blue, since I've been away from you.
I can't wait 'til I get going.
Even now I'm starting in to call, Oh...

REFRAIN
California, here I come right back where I started from.
Where Bowers of flowers bloom in the spring.
Each morning at dawning, birdies sing an' everything.
A sunkist miss said, "Don't be late" that's why I can hardly wait.
Open up that Golden Gate,
California here I come.

2ND VERSE
Any one who likes to wander ought to keep this saying in his mind,
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder" of the good old place you leave behind.
When you've hit the train awhile, seems you rarely see a smile;
that's why I must fly out yonder, where a frown is mighty hard to find! Oh....

REFRAIN
California, here I come right back where I started from.
Where Bowers of flowers bloom in the spring.
Each morning at dawning, birdies sing an' everything.
A sunkist miss said, "Don't be late" that's why I can hardly wait.
Open up that Golden Gate.
California here I come.

(Recorded by : John Arpin; Gordon Beck; Jethro Burns; Joe Bushkin;
Freddy Cannon; Eddie Cantor; Judy Carmichael; Ray Charles;
Eddie Condon; J. Lawrence Cook; James Dapogny;
Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards; Bill Evans; Firehouse Five Plus Two;
Jimmy Giuffre; Benny Goodman; Lionel Hampton; Ted Heath;
Duke Heitger; Art Hodes; Claude Hopkins & His Orch.; Betty Johnson;
Al Jolson; Martin Litton; Louis Mazetier; Bob McHugh Trio;
Paris Washboard; Ed Polcer & His All Stars; Mel Powell;
Pee Wee Russell; Slappin' Mammys; Hal Smith; Ralph Sutton;
Fats Waller; Jackie Wilson.) 1

some wonderful source books:

and many more.





* we'll get to florida later