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Painted Desert and Blue Forest, Arizona, 1935

Subject
Mountains & Hills
Card type
Linen
Date
c. 1935 (Linen)
Front of Painted Desert and Blue Forest, Arizona, 1935, J. R. Willis, NM, USA, c. 1935 linen postcard
Front
Back of Painted Desert and Blue Forest, Arizona, 1935, J. R. Willis, NM, USA, c. 1935 linen postcard
Back

About this postcard

A wide view of eroded badlands in the Painted Desert: soft blue-grey, rain-grooved slopes in the foreground rise to a low ridge banded in vivid reds, oranges, yellows, and purples beneath a pale blue sky. The printed caption calls the scene "Evening Shadows" and identifies the Painted Desert and Blue Forest, Arizona. Its promotional text calls the views "Weird, fantastic, gorgeous, awe inspiring and beautiful," especially at sunset during the rainy season, when the desert's distance and stillness cast blue and purple shadows. The Painted Desert's banded badlands are part of the Chinle Formation, known for their red and purple layers, and the Blue Forest is a petrified wood area in the same region.

Postcard Details

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PublisherJ. R. Willis
P. F. 40—EVENING SHADOWS PAINTED DESERT AND BLUE FOREST, ARIZONA Weird, fantastic, gorgeous, awe inspiring and beautiful are but few of the adjectives applied to the views of the Painted Desert or Petrified Forest region; particularly at sunset during the rainy season. The great distance of the view, the stillness of the desert, the blue and purple shadows in their intensity cast a spell upon the observer at the sight of this great phenomenon.
Addressed to
J. R. Willis

Postcard record

PublisherJ. R. Willis
SeriesP. F. 40 5A-H2545
ConditionGood
Place mentionedJ. R. Willis, Box 665, Albuquerque, NM
Place mentionedAZ
PublisherJ. R. Willis, Chicago, IL
NotesLinen (crosshatch) texture; thin white border at top edge; small copyright-style mark in lower right corner; no printed caption on front. No postmark. Unused divided-back Curt Teich linen "C.T. Art-Colortone" card (5A-H2545), ca. 1930s-40s; light soiling, no damage.

Cite this card

Painted Desert and Blue Forest, Arizona, 1935, postcard, c. 1935. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/painted-desert-and-blue-forest-arizona-1935. Accessed November 2, 2026.