California: A History by: Kevin StarrCh. 6 The Higher Provincialism

California’s Literary Culture

The climate of California gave people an independence and simplicity of manner.

By the mid-1850's San Francisco was supporting something resembling a literary culture, and in 1860, a publishing house was established by Anton Roman.

The literary culture in 1859 was characterized by humor, history, and memoir. In the 1860's by local color, literary journalism, and poetry.

In the 1870'sa continuation with an emphasis on nature writing.

A generation of accomplished painters came into California during the Gold Rush and by the late 1870's, had firmly established California as a center for landscape painting.

Invention

California supported art from the frontier days onward

The San Francisco Art Union an exhibition and auction house opened its doors in 1851.

Photography flourished as well under artists such as Carlton Watkins and EadweardMuybridge

Muybridge was an English photographer, known primarily for his important pioneering work, with use of multiple cameras to capture motion, and his zoopraxiscope, a device for projecting motion pictures that pre-dated the celluloid film strip that is still used today