Visions & visionaries

With the rise of train travel from the latter 1880s through the 1920s, artists flocked to the Grand Canyon and to the pueblos of New Mexico and Arizona to paint unusual landscapes and exotic Indians. Recognizing that the mystique of the Southwest Indian country might help pull them out of a financial slump, the Santa Fe Railway set out to promote vacation packages that would appeal to the luxury traveler. As part of the plan and over a number of years, the Santa Fe acquired paintings and used them in a variety of ways. On calendars and lithographs, in hotel lobbies and dining cars, the Santa Fe's paintings were displayed around the country, planting wanderlust and thirst for adventure in the hearts of would-be tourists. This gorgeous coffee-table book contains 50 historic photographs and 80 full-color plates of paintings that created the southwestern mystique. Visions and Visionaries reproduces colorful paintings from the Santa Fe Collection, including works by American masters such as Blumenschein, Moran, Sharp, Higgins, Ufer, Couse, Akin, and Widforss.