Exhibition: Wondrous West: Art, Tourism and National Pride

Livingston Depot Museum presents an exhibition of vintage imagery from curator and historian Lee Silliman’s print collection for the 2024 season. Wondrous West: Art, Tourism & National Pride features advertising campaigns from railroads and travel bureaus spanning nearly a century of America's romance with Western tourism.
The vast and dramatic landscapes of the Rocky Mountain West came to symbolize the American identity. Presented as its counterpoint to the ancient and richly cultured past of Europe, Americans could point to their unique, diverse, and beautiful national parks as emblematic of the country’s greatness. Vintage travel books, railroad brochures, illustrated newspapers, and more than encouraged a nation to “See America First.” Even as rail travel gave way to automobiles, readers were invited to come see what the American West has to offer.