California

Detailed oblique angle view of California drawn by a well known American artist.

This complete bird’s eye view of California was designed in 1936 by Charles Owens for the All-Year Club of Southern California. This was an organization started by Harry Chandler, publisher of the Los Angeles Times, that was dedicated to promoting tourism to the state during the summer months, as it was primarily a winter destination at the time. The map expertly shows the variation in California’s topography, including the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Central Valley, coastal forests and the Mojave Desert. Furthermore, the major metropolitan areas (San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento) are depicted with buildings in profile, giving the viewer a sense of the great industrial and commercial capacity of the state.Transportation networks bisect the map from every direction, including state highways and railroads, and national parks, important buildings, and other locations of interest are labeled. A decorative top title border further alludes to the deep history and diversity of the region.

Charles Owens began his career as an illustrator for the Los Angeles Times, and ultimately became a prolific artist known for his pictorials, landscapes, and war maps published during WWII.