Exposition

California Pacific International Exposition May 29 to November 11 1935. Double-sided pictorial map.

1935 · 61830 — San Diego CA: Shell Building San Diego Exposition 1935. One oblong atlas folio map. 32 x 22 in. Double-sided colour lithograph pictorial map with inset colour illustrations on verso of History of San Diego fold creases as issued light age toning at fore-edges very minor edgewear w/ original mailing envelope from the “Shell Building†at the CPIE toning to envelope NF/VG- copy mailed to Miss Gladys Buckman 1920-2011 in Long Beach CA from her brother Loren M. Buckman 1913-1995 who at the time was stationed on the USS Northampton CL/CA 26 US Navy Cruiser sunk later in 1942 at the Battle of Tassafaronga repelling Japanese from reinforcing troops on Guadalcanal. First edition of this scarce and beautifully rendered pictorial map celebrating the very successful California Pacific International Exposition held in San Diego over two years at the depths of the Great Depression to revive the Southern California economy which featured a number of unusual concessions and exhibits such as the Gold Gulch Lost Continent of Mu the Zoro Garden Nudist Colony and the “One Ton Mechanical Man.†Several of the exhibits used at the recently closed Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago 1933-1934 were re-used for the CPIE. This map reminiscent of the work of Jo Mora looks Eastward from a high point above the Pacific Ocean depicting San Diego from La Jolla to Oneonta and inland up to Cuyamaca Dam. Many of the buildings developed the architect Requa’s 1881-1941 “Southern California Architecture†style drawing upon the historical architecture of the Colonial Mexico the Pueblos of the Southwest and the Moorish features from Spain and North Africa and preserved the popular buildings which are still evident in Balboa Park. Bloodgood 1896-1989 was an illustrator cartoonist and map maper who produced a substantial body of pictorial maps from 1935-1968 for Shell Oil and the Pic-Tour Guide Series with this one being distributed from the Shell Building exhibit at the CPIE. Worldcat locates 6 copies SFPL U of FL Osher Map Lib. Bancroft UC San Diego Harvard. Shell Building, San Diego Exposition, unknown