1950 Pictorial Pennant Map of Florida

This is a c. 1950s pictorial pennant map of Florida. On the left, a map of Florida is superimposed over a pictorial background highlighting many of Florida's most attractive sights. Major cities are labeled throughout the state. The Bok Tower is prominently illustrated, along with the Overseas Highway. Other illustrations include an alligator, a marlin, and flamingos with a glass bottom boat in the background.

A Short History of Tourist Pennants

Pennants first entered into the American consciousness through sports. High school and college teams produced pennants for their supporters to wave at games, but the pennant gained the most significance in professional baseball. If a team won a league championship, they won the right to fly a pennant after the victory. In the 1950s and 1960s, as the national highway network and car culture made traveling within the United States easier, a brink memento trade emerged. This desire led to the creation of tourist pennants with the names of states, cities, national parks, and even roadside attractions. Since the pennant already held a place in American popular culture, and felt was an inexpensive material, it became an inexpensive souvenir. The pennant craze lasted for some time, but eventually fell out of fashion.

Publication History and Census

Unfortunately, due to the characteristics of pennant production, these objects almost never bear the creator's signature or even the name of the company that produced them. Thus, we cannot state with any certainty who created this piece or exactly when it was produced. However, while researching the history of tourist pennants, we did not encounter another surviving example of the present pennant.