Books, periodicals, and newspapers quickly filled the void with information and images, tempering the newness and wonder that had once made the letter sheet popular. In addition, advances in photography and the greater availability of photographs made artist-rendered illustrations seem less immediate, denying the letter sheet its documentary and reportorial function. Today, pictorial letter sheets provide a salient pictorial record of a unique time and place. Concerned with the Gold Rush, with daily life, and with a rapidly-changing California, letter sheets were local productions with local subjects, but they were, and are, universal in their appeal. Family Day activities for our exhibition, sill take place on Saturday, February 20, 1999.
Admission is free all day.
This exhibition closes at CHS on May 22. Note 2 . Note 3 . All rights reserved. Scanned, edited and HTML encoded by Loren Basham.