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4845 Manila Ave., Oakland, Call.,

Deer Betty: January 12, 1939.

In your letter you say “she only writes when she wants something.” It seems that I have to write
NOW in order to get that something in for the 15th and 1 hope you hide it under the Palette and re-
write it. You gave me a variety of subjects to choose from, but as we are so fair conscious these days, I
think the San Francisco exposition is perhaps the best subject for an article in your illustrious magazine.
Unfortunately the treasures of the exhibition are not open to the public till the 18th of February;
(attempted to swim to the island for the worthy cause of the Palette annual, but landed at Alcatraz and
couldn’t find any murals by Hughes, Goranson and Fisher).

Of course the newspapers have told us of the ders, the gl , and the surprises of the fair.
In fact the San Francisco Chronicle and the Oakland Tribune have let out so many secrets that there
will be no surprises left and it will be hardly necessary to visit the island to know just what’s going on.
One columnist states that the architecture of the fair buildings is Old Egyptian of W.P.A. vintage and
that only 70 per cent of the building will be finished for the opening. However, the Tower of the Sun,
the Chinese pagodas, Bank of America building, the Court of the Seven Seas and all the administration
buildings, etc., look very well from the bridge. Treasure Island is man-made, which you're sure to know
already, and a road has been built to it leading off the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. We had a
wonderful view of the island floodlit last Thursday night when we were crossing the bridge by train en
route to the Ballet Russe at the new Memorial Opera House. Before I start recounting the routines of
“Les Sylphides,” “St. Francis,’ and the “Beau Danube” and branching out into detail of the colour schemes
and stage sets, which you'll be seeing for yourself, I must repeat the stock phrase about Treasure Island
at night—It is a veritable fairyland. The illuminations are in blue, red and ivory and they light up the
whole island. The Chronicle tells us that the magic buildings spring into new life under “black light?
and a changing veil of illumination. Fair officials are considering a plan to use rays of the rising sun in
the south Atlantic ocean to illuminate Treasure Island, but don’t ask me how this works!

Amongst the thousands of exhibits will be a silk stocking made of a new Du Pont product and
supposed to last for five months. I’m forgetting this is for artists’ consumption and that hosiery is not
of interest. The majority of students at the California College of Arts and Crafts wear ankle socks all
the year round, which solves their hose problem.

They say that the fair is a boon for artists and hundreds are being employed. (There are still
several out of work!) The art treasures, which are being brought from all over the world will certainly
be a thrill for anyone with a scrap of art appreciation. The Italian government is lending several works
of old masters, including Raphael, Michael Angelo, Bellini, Donatello, Fra Angelico, Andrea del Sarto and
other lesser names. Every day shiploads'of treasures are docking at the island.

One of the most interesting exhibits, 1 think, will be the use of glass in the home of tomorrow.
They say the walls of the rooms are made of blocks of glass and the furniture is non-chipping, easily
cleaned, decorative glassware. It sounds a little chilly and fragile 10 me, but seeing is believing. }

As one scans the headlines of the Oakland Tribune and reads that the whole city’s gone plumb loco
over this here fair, which means that the majority of its citizens have gone western in their costume and
are entering into the spirit of the exhibition by dressing up in cowboy hats, vivid handkerchiefs, satin
shirts, and some conscientious ones have spurs, revolvers and beards to their credit. All the store people
are in costume and urge one to buy a de luxe cardboard cowgirl hat. Twenty thousand San Franciscans
can be seen with beards in various stages of undevelopment. Psychiatrists say it’s the masculine ego, all
this whisker growing, but one of them owned he couldn’t produce a moustache himself. The City of
Sacramento, capital of California, is suing the exhibition committee because they say they have exclusive
beard growing rights to advertise their annual state fair! Six people have been injured with so-called toy
revolvers, but it’s all lots of fun and. one can’t help being swept along in the spirit of camaraderie. We
went sketching over at Fisherman’s Wharf, a part of San Francisco’s famed waterfront, and we wore
exhibition scarves on our heads. Yes, we are almost sold to the south—sunshine is so cheap down here.
However, we'll be watching all cars for B. C. license plates and you can count on us to muster up all
our patriotic enthusiasm for the B. C. exhibit. This is a very inadequate article on the shape of things
to come on Treasure Island and 1 can only suggest that you come down and see for yourselves. Just don
a ten-gallon and tuck a sketch book under your arm and start trekking for the Golden State. You'll find
treasures de luxe guaranteed.

With love and best wishes for the Palette. ISABEL WADSWORTH.