Full cover from the book "In the Arms of Saguaros", by William L. Bird.
When
Where
In the Arms of Saguaros: The Hunt for Iconic Collections and Pictures, 1880-1960
William L. Bird, Jr. will discuss the history of saguaro cactus imagery drawn from his recent book, In the Arms of Saguaros: Iconography of the Giant Cactus, published by the University of Arizona Press.
Larry’s illustrated talk will picture the dramatic uptick in saguaro cactus imagery that followed the railroad’s penetration of the Sonoran Desert in the early 1880s—resulting in transplanted displays from Southern Pacific depots to world’s fairs that acquainted Americans with the plants first hand. Not until the years bracketing the Second World War did the Southwest’s travel and tourism industry elevate the saguaro to the status of a regional icon. For many unfamiliar with the actual plant, the saguaro became an icon of the American West that by the early 1960s resided in a new and highly imaginative range.
William L. Bird, Jr. is Curator Emeritus at the National Museum of American History – Smithsonian Institution. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.