1948 Lister Pictorial Bird's-Eye View Map of Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, California

This is a 1948 James Wren Lister pictorial bird's-eye view map of Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, California. With Avalon Bay in the foreground, boats and piers in the bay immediately catch the eye. A casino occupies a point in the foreground on the right, while Avalon's streets stretch into the hills. Schools, the post office, City Happ, a golf course, and a ball park are labeled. (The 'ball park' as it is simply labeled, was the spring training home of the Chicago Cubs and was known as Wrigley Field.) Thirty-seven vignette views frame the central image and present numerous aspects of life in Avalon and around Sana Catalina Island, including people enjoying water sports, a baseball player, and a smaller version of the large central map.

Verso Content

A map of Santa Catalina Island occupies the right half of the verso. Points, landings, harbors, and other coastal locations are identified, along with the airport, specific mountains, and some canyons. Major roads are illustrated. A small legend appears in the upper right and provides general information. A directory for Avalon, listing hotels, restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shops, along with other locations, occupies the upper half of the left side.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by James Wren Lister and published by the L.C.B. Company in 1948. Three examples are cataloged in OCLC: University of California Los Angeles, the University of California San Diego, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. This piece appears occasionally on the private market.