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Postcards from Mecca

  • Description
  • Specs
  • Schedule

Description

Uncover the California Desert Photographs of the independent, adventurous, and spirited cousins Susie Keef Smith and Lula Mae Graves, taken between 1916-1936.

A woman sits near a desert lily and old camera in the desert.
Susie Keef Smith and her camera, with a desert lily she was photographing. Lula Mae Graves photograph. Warner Graves Collection.
Two smiling women look at the camera while outside.
Lula and Susie captioned this photo “Susanita and Ramona,” their assumed names in their Wild West personas. Photographer: Unknown. Warner Graves Collection.
A man stands with his arms crossed outside of a shack with a mountain in the background.
Prospector Martin Augustine at his camp on Broken Hill Mining Road, 1930. Lula Mae Graves photograph. Warner Graves Collection.

Susie Keef Smith was seeking escape from a troubled home life and the havoc of childhood polio when she and her cousin, Lula Mae Graves, set out to photograph the last of the prospectors, burro packers and stage stops in the remote desert east of California’s Salton Sea. They traveled by burro, foot and Ford though sandy washes and roadless canyons, armed with a .38 revolver and a large format camera. While making postcards for the PO spinner rack in Mecca, where Susie was postmaster, the women were remade in the wilderness and wound up creating an unparalleled portrait of one of the lesser-known deserts in the West.

Susie’s photos were nearly lost to history when–upon her death–they were tossed out by a county administrator. A savvy archaeologist jumped into a dumpster and rescued many of the photos you see here. This exhibit presents portraits of a mysterious land along with the story of its heroic chroniclers, self-taught documentary photographers of the 1920s and ’30s.

Interior of a post office with a postcard rack and magazine rack.
The magazine rack in the Mecca Post Office held tales of adventure, no doubt influencing Susie and Lula to live their own Action Adventure story. Susie Keef Smith photograph. Susie Keef Smith Collection.
A woman stands on rocks outside. She has a stern expression on her face, wearing men’s clothing, and has a visible sidearm.
Lula at Aztec Wells, 1929, wearing high-laced boots, jodhpurs, an over-sized man’s coat and a prominent sidearm. Her standard expression was cool and serious. Susie Keef Smith photograph. Warner Graves Collection.
An old car is pictured in front of large rock formations.
Pinnacles of Painted Gorge near Ocotillo, California. Susie Keef Smith photograph. Chris Ervin Collection.

Postcards from Mecca is based on the book edited by Ann Japenga and Warner V. Graves III, originated at the La Quinta Museum, and is traveled by Exhibit Envoy.

Specs

Audience:
General
Rental Fee:
$2,500 + shipping for an 8-week booking
Size:
750 – 1,100 sq. ft.
Security:
Moderate

Exhibit Components:

  • 55 framed photographs by Lula Mae Graves and Susie Keef Smith, with suggested installations for highlighting 30-55 of these photographs (fit your gallery!)
  • Artifacts from Lula Mae Graves and artifacts representative of the times, including postcard, cameras, and Lula’s travel trunk
  • Didactic text panels and captions for each photograph
  • Reproduction photo album for visitors to flip through
  • PDFs for printing postcards in your own museum
  • Exterior banner
  • Exhibition press kit
  • An exhibit copy of Postcards from Mecca: The California Desert Photographs of Susie Keef Smith and Lula Mae Graves, 1916-1936 , edited by Ann Japenga and Warner V. Graves III

Schedule and Availability

Past Dates

January 24, 2019 – May 11, 2019
La Quinta Museum, La Quinta, CA
May 2, 2021 – August 22, 2021 (16 weeks)
Grace Hudson Museum, Ukiah, CA
September 4, 2022 – October 30, 2022
Hi-Desert Nature Museum, Yucca Valley, CA
February 25, 2024 – July 7, 2024 (19 weeks)
Park City Museum, Park City, UT
June 1, 2025 – July 27, 2025
AVAILABLE
September 7, 2025 – November 16, 2025 (10 weeks)
Sutter County Museum, Yuba City, CA
January 18, 2026 – March 15, 2026
AVAILABLE
April 5, 2026 – May 31, 2026
AVAILABLE
June 21, 2026 – August 16, 2026
AVAILABLE
September 6, 2026 – November 1, 2026
AVAILABLE
November 22, 2026 – January 17, 2027
AVAILABLE

This show will travel beyond 2026! Contact us to discuss booking dates for 2027+.

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