Comparative Rainfall Chart for Southern California

Selling the climate of Southern California to an eager audience.

“This Chart shows, in the columns printed in blue, the average rainfall, by months and seasons, in Southern California, for periods of 38 to 68 years. The columns printed in red show the rainfall, by months and season, in Los Angeles, for the past 41 years.” – Text, lower left.

This collection of bar charts was published in 1918 to advertise the ‘predictable’ (albeit modest) amounts of rainfall across Southern California in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A curated selection of data offers a sense of measurable security to the prospective farmer, then experiencing a profitable period of high food prices due to the ongoing Great War. Apart from a few dry seasons in the early 1900s and an exceptionally wet 1898, the rainfall levels appear extremely consistent.

The verso presents, perhaps, an even more compelling argument for Southern California and its idyllic climate. Two charts highlight the overwhelming amount of sunshine received and the very modest weather extremes experienced by the region. Text written by Arthur Kinney of the L.A. Chamber of Commerce claims that the conditions are ‘Los Angeles’ most potent factor in industry.’ Tables of statistics outline agricultural exports, rapidly growing regional population, and increasing value of bank clearings and post office business.

The Rainfall Chart was copywritten in 1918 by Fred Lind Alles and printed in Los Angeles by the Alles Printing Company. Distributed by the Public Information Bureau of the Security Trust and Savings Bank – several advertisements for the “Oldest and Largest Savings Bank in Southern California” can be seen on both sides of the sheet.