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Signed by the Artist, W.J. Goodacre

This rare pictorial map of the California Missions, designed by illustrator WJ Goodacre, offers a detailed representation of the California coastline, highlighting the locations of the old Spanish missions. 

Each mission is meticulously illustrated as a vignette against the backdrop of the California coast, accompanied by descriptive texts that elucidate their historical significance. The poster traces the missions from San Diego de Alcala in the south to San Francisco Solano Mission in the north, located in present-day Sonoma, illustrating a historical trajectory of northward expansion.

Central to the poster's thematic content is the depiction of Padre Junipero Serra, a pivotal figure in the establishment of the California missions. Two images of Serra are prominently featured: a portrait in the upper right corner and a scene of him surveying the Californian landscape in the lower left. Accompanying these images are texts providing insights into his critical role in the mission era.

The poster displays a total of twenty-one missions, each marked with a number. Interestingly, the numbering does not follow a geographical sequence but is arranged chronologically, reflecting the historical order of the missions' establishment.  

An additional feature is the depiction of the 'Old Mission Trail,' represented by a dotted red line with crosses marking each mission. For comparative purposes, a continuous brown line illustrates the alignment of modern Highway 101 with the historic Camino Real. At the bottom of the poster, a densely written scroll provides a historical summary of Spanish settlement in the region, enriching the poster's educational value.

William Johnson Goodacre was a commercial artist who came to Santa Barbara from England in 1924. He produced a number of interesting maps and book illustrations, including a "A Map of Santa Barbara For Tourists" (1930),  "Flag Map of California" (1936) and a map  of Santa Barbara (1945).

Rarity

The map is very rare on the market.

We note a single example offered for sale in recent years.

OCLC locates 2 examples (Bancroft Library and University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee).