![Detail. Historical and Recreational Map of Los Angeles [1942]. Joe Mora/Los Angeles Public Library Map Collection](https://lapl.org/sites/default/files/exhibits/jo-mora-mapmaker-american-west/mapofhistoricalandrecreationallosangeles1942.jpg)
Detail. Historical and Recreational Map of Los Angeles [1942]. Joe Mora/Los Angeles Public Library Map Collection
This exhibit presents a deeper look at the work of the great California-based artist and cartographer Joseph Jacinto Mora. The many talents of the man are seen here with artifacts, drawings, maps, and historical essays that were created in his long and fruitful career as painter, sculptor, illustrator, photographer, and historian of the southwest. Mora’s reputation as a master of pictorial cartography continues to grow and here you are able to see a large share of his cartes in one space.
The Los Angeles Public library has collected materials from the Jo Mora legacy since the 1920s and is joined here by the Jo Mora Trust to present a personal touch in examining the broad scope of his work and give perspective on the tireless dedication the man had in honoring historical traditions of Native Americans and the early settlers of the West. A large share of the materials on display have never been seen in Southern California and offer an intimate glance at Mora’s greatness.
The materials on display were selected from the Jo Mora Trust, the David Rumsey Map Center at Stanford University, and the Los Angeles Public Library’s Mora Collection—curated by map librarian Glen Creason.