California History 1920s-50s - Scrapbook with Photos

Scrapbook with 200 photos and postcards of California, 1920s-50s. Brown cloth boards measuring 7 x 11 inches with "Photographs" in gold gilt across front. Cards and photos inside measure between 9 x 6 and 2 x 1.5 inches. Photos show subjects posing in natural and urban landscapes in California alongside postcards from various landmarks and scenic locations. In one series of camping photos a group of 4 young men c. 1920s pose in outdoor scenes. In one a man stands on a large rock over a stream, naked except for the towel he holds to cover himself. In another, two of the men wash dishes outdoors in tin buckets, a small camp stove beside them and homestead house with broken windows behind them. Later each man poses alone in front of the same tent, holding playfully manful poses and gazing into the distance. On the next page the same subjects are shown in individual close-ups, their eyes squinting with the force of their broad smiles. Later in the album a group of girls pose in bathing caps and swim dresses, lying on their bellies with their chins resting on clasped hands, smiling happily into the camera. California during this period saw a time of rapid growth both in new arrivals and in tourism with the growth of the film industry putting Los Angeles, in particular, on the map. Postcards of various missions throughout the state including Olvera street call attention to the history of the state as it developed from small settlements to burgeoning cities and highlighting the natural landscape that called transplants the world over. A collection that captures the exhilaration emblematic of Californian history and tourism throughout the twentieth century.