1973 Millsap Pictorial Map of California

This is a 1973 Darrel Millsap pictorial map of California. This is one of only few maps in the Fillmore style of design, pioneered by promotores of The Fillmore, a legendary 1760s-70s San Francisco music venue. The map is one of a series commissioned by the Home Federal Counry Bank.

A Closer Look

Entertaining and comical vignettes present California's history and its natural wonders. Miners, complete with long white beards, toil in the mountains near Squaw Valley, one of whom is unsuccessfully fighting with a mule. A man joyfully crushing grapes marks Sonoma Valley, and a skull represents the fate of those unfortunate enough to get lost in Death Valley. Typography of varying size and color proclaim place names from Lava Beds National Monument to Chula Vista and Tijuana, with the largest identifying San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Yosemite. Disneyland, the Rose Bowl, Candlestick Park, the San Diego Zoo, and Balboa Park also appear. The Salton Sea, a salt lake situated on the San Andreas Fault, is marked by a lake and an overturned salt shaker. Created for the Home Federal Savings and Loan Association, the title cartouche proclaims California to be 'Home Federal Country,' which is seemingly cut out of a redwood tree.

Fillmore style graphic design

Published in 1973, Millsap borrows some elements for this map of California from the iconic concert posters created for The Fillmore, the legendary San Francisco music venue. The Fillmore posters' psychedelic styling and innovative use of different types of lettering cemented their place in popular culture and modern art history.

Publication History and Census

This map was created by Darrel Millsap and published by the Home Federal Savings and Loan Association in 1973. An example is part of the David Rumsey Map Collection, and it is rarely seen on the private market. This map is not cataloged in OCLC.