This volume gathers a surprising and engaging sampling of more than five hundred pieces of printed matter: material that circulated between the 1910s and the 1960s, with prints run of anywhere from a thousand to tens of thousands of copies. These ephemeral, utilitarian publications flooded streets, newspaper stands, bookshops, and homes, in the common aim of disseminating an idealised image of what is considered typically Mexican. Drawn from private collections and the holdings of museums, with no claim to completeness, the material in Mexico: The Land of Charm ranges in size from stamps to posters, and includes supports such as books, illustrated magazines, photography magazines, songbooks and musical scores, almanacs and calendars, tourist guides and maps. The result is impressive, in terms of both individual examples and the collection as a whole: these images are now a part of Mexican history.
