1952 Arnold Pictorial Map of the United States as Arizonans See It

This is a 1952 Oren and Rosemary Arnold humorous pictorial map of the United States prepared for the booklet Arizona Brags. A classic 'brags' map, it presents its home state in the most complimentary terms while satirizing the perceived flaws of others.

A Closer Look

The map depicts the continental United States (relatively speaking) from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean and from Canada to Mexico from an Arizonan's perspective. Arizona, naturally, dominates and is referred to as 'heaven', 'paradise', and a land of 'free money' with 'steaks for everybody'. An angel underscores Arizona's heavenliness, while a female farm hand carries two pails labeled 'milk' and 'honey', escorted by two bees, reinforcing the 'milk and honey' image. The sun also rises and sets in Arizona, a subtle suggestion that the universe revolves around the state. The Grand Canyon and Lake Mead (the 'world's finest scenery'), of course, occupy the upper portion of the state. Arnold points himself out ('Me') relaxing in the state's southwest. A large bull, illustrated in the southeast portion of Arizona, points towards the east, past New Mexico (diminutively reduced to 'Santa Fe'), at a fellow bull in Oklahoma / Texas. The Arizona bull's cousin, however, is not as well-fed.

The rest of the map consists of rather comical illustrations of other states. California, for example, is known for its earthquakes, tsunamis, rain, smog, and ice. The Northeastern U.S. is a 'cultural and political void' inside the Arctic Circle. Nearby Pennsylvania is full of smoke and slums, while Washington, D.C., is depicted as a politician doling out cash and coins. (This is likely a nod to Arizona's libertarian leanings; incidentally, Barry Goldwater was first elected as one of the state's senators the same year this map was published). Renderings of other states are no more flattering, with Florida ('Flawida') seen as a swampy, mosquito-infested wasteland and Nevada represented by a figure combining elements of an Old West desperado and a modern Las Vegas gangster. The verso contains additional amusing and promotional text for the state, starting with the crack 'God gave Arizona sand for a beach, but forgot the ocean'.

Brags Maps

Oren Arnold published several 'brag' books and maps in the mid-20th century, including for California, Colorado, and New Mexico in addition to Arizona Brags. These were small, ephemeral, souvenir-type books that highlighted the attractions and characteristics of the state in question in a humorous manner, often ridiculing other states and regions in the process. Other artists and authors produced similar works around the same time, such as John Randolph and Mark Storm's 'Official Texas Brags Map of North America' and Daniel Wallingford's maps of the United States as seen by Bostonians and New Yorkers (all previously sold by us).

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by 'Rosie' (signed to the bottom-left of the cactus here), that is Rosemary Arnold, the daughter of Oren Arnold, who was the designer and illustrator for his 1952 booklet Arizona Brags: Your Sun-country Souvenir. This was the second edition of both the book and map, the latter of which was noticeably reworked, employing a different color scheme among other noticeable changes. (See the earlier edition, previously sold by us as ArizonansUS-arnold-1947.) Neither edition of the map is independently cataloged in the OCLC, while the 1952 edition of the booklet is held by about 20 institutions.