NOW THAT TOURIST SEASON IS ALMOST UPON US HERE IN FLORIDA,I CANNOT HELP THINKING ABOUT ALL THE ARTIST WHO SERVED THE VISITORS OF THE CITIES IN FLORIDA.THE FIRST TO COME TO MIND WERE NONE OTHER THAN THE ARTIST WHO OCCUPIED THE SALONS OF HENRY FLAGLERS' HOTEL PONCE DE LEON IN ST. AUGUSTINE. YES THEY COULD BE CONSIDERED THE FIRST TOURIST ARTISTS HERE IN FLORIDA. THEY SUPPLIED THE GUEST AT THE HOTEL WITH MUCH NEEDED ENTERTAINMENT AS WELL AS A LITTLE REMEMBRANCE OF THEIR STAY IN THIS NEW TROPICAL PARADISE.SOME OF THESE ARTIST WERE QUITE FAMOUS ALREADY AND SOME NOT SO FAMOUS. ARTIST THE LIKES OF MARTIN JOHNSON HEADE, FRANK SHAPLEIGH,WILLIAM STAPLES DROWN,ROBERT GERMAN,ELLEN ROBBINS,FELIX DE CRANO,AND LAURA WOODWARD SOLD THEIR INTERPRETATIONS OF THE SCENES OF THE CITY AND SURROUNDING LANDSCAPES TO THE OCCUPANTS OF FLAGERS' HOTEL. THIS ALSO CARRIED ON TO PALM BEACH WHERE LAURA WOODWARD SET UP A STUDIO IN THE ROYAL POINCIANA HOTEL, ANOTHER FLAGLER HOTEL. THESE PAINTINGS PRODUCED BY THESE PIONEER ARTIST OF FLORIDA ENDED UP IN THE HOMES OF THOSE WEALTHY ENOUGH TO TRAVEL TO THESE HOTELS. LATER IN THE 30'S,40'S ,50'S ,60'S 70'S AND 80'S THE LIKES OF EMMETT FRITZ WERE PAINTING THE WONDERS OF ST. AUGUSTINE TO BE DISSEMINATED THROUGH OUT THE U.S. AND THE WORLD. IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE LIKE TAMPA AND ST. PETERSBURG OTHER ARTIST WERE SERVICING THE TOURIST OF THE MIDDLE CLASS IN THE 20'S AND 30'S. WITH THE NEW FOUND TRANSPORTATION MEANS OF THE AUTOMOBILE ,MORE AND PEOPLE WANTED TO EXPLORE THE BEAUTY OF THE TROPICS. THESE ARTIST INCLUDED E.G.BARNHILL AND W.C.ADDISON. BARNHILL NOTED FOR HIS GOLDTONE PHOTOGRAPHS AND HAND COLORED PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS OF THE BEAUTIFUL FLORIDA SUNSETS AND GULF COAST SEASCAPES WAS A VERY POPULAR ARTIST IN HIS TIME. HE ALSO PRODUCED WATERCOLORS AND THE OCCASIONAL OIL PAINTING. W.C.ADDISON WAS VERY SKILLED AT PAINTING SMALL FLORIDA SCENES OF OIL ON WOOD WITH FLAMINGOS AND CYPRESS SWAMPS. THESE SMALL PAINTING WERE FRAMED IN A GESSO APPLIED ROPE LIKE DESIGN. FARTHER SOUTH IN THE MIAMI AREA WERE TWO TRANSPLANTED ARTIST FROM DETROIT. ALBIN BARANOWSKI AND MARTHA HELEN WILLIAMS CAME TO FLORIDA SOME TIME IN THE 40'S OR 50'S AND SET UP PAINTING IN THE MIAMI AREA. BARONOWSKI WAS SAID TO HAVE WORKED ON THE DESIGN FOR THE U.S. QUARTER RELEASED IN THE 30'S.THEIR WORK INCLUDES PAINTINGS OF FLORIDA RIVERS AND OCEANSCAPES WITH BRIGHT COLORS AND VIVID SUNSETS. AFTER ALBINS DEATH MARTHA WILLIAMS MOVED TO FLORIDA FULL TIME AND WAS ALSO SAID TO HAVE HAD A PAINTING SHOW ON EARLY TELEVISION. WE CANNOT FINISH WITHOUT A MENTION OF THE HIGHWAYMEN . A GROUP OF ARTIST IN THE FT. PIERCE AREA NOTED FOR THEIR RENDITIONS OF THE COASTAL AND BACKCOUNTRY LANDSCAPES. ALTHOUGH THEY MAINLY SERVICED THE LOCAL HOME AND BUSINESS OWNER MANY OF THEIR OIL PAINTINGS ENDED UP ALL OVER THE U.S. AS REMINDERS OF THE BEAUTY OF AN AREA BEING LOST TO PROGRESS.THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE ARTIST WHO MADE THEIR LIVING BY SHARING WITH THE WORLD THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF FLORIDA. I KNOW THERE ARE MANY MORE . COLLECTING ART OF FLORIDA HAS MANY FACETS AND THE ART OF THESE AND OTHER TOURIST ARTIST SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED.
