California as an Island

a map from 1666 by Dutch cartographer, Peter Goos

I have a thing for islands. I like reading about them and studying them. I make work about them and see myself as one. There is one in particular that I long to be on, all the time. I also love maps and, again, I like reading about them and studying them. I've been paying close attention to maps of California and San Francisco and recently found a resource of very old maps of California as an island. I learned after visiting The Glen McLaughlin Map Collection, a collection of maps depicting California as an island, that California was imagined this way and even after the truth was discovered it took years for "the island to attach itself back onto North America on maps." Further, I find this statement fascinating:

"the maps lagged behind reality and became a cartographic phenomenon that defied the science of mapping." 

Lagging behind reality and defining science give me pause... I was intrigued to learn about this version of California and see my new home state in a totally different way. I think I was comforted finding these images, too, because I like islands so much.

Island of 14,264 Days, an embroidered self-portrait

map of Iceland, my favorite island

Thanks for reading.