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Jan and Cora Gordon in America

In 1927 and 1928 Jan and Cora Josephine travelled throughout the USA, recording the journey in two books. There is now an excellent account by Bill Bryson of the events of 1927 in the USA, concluding with "Whatever else it was, it was one hell of a summer." The solo flight of Charles Lindbergh from New York's Long Island to Le Bourget Field in Paris, on May 20-21 of that year, figures prominently. At the moment Lindbergh landed a Paris friend of Jan and Cora Gordon, Myron Chester Nutting, was mid-Atlantic on a boat headed for New York where they later met up with the Gordons again before they left on their tour. See: http://janandcoragordonart.blogspot.com/2014/09/jan-and-cora-gordon-with-nuttings-in.html . As far as I am aware, this is the only extensive account of the Gordons by a contemporary of theirs. The Gordons also met with their friends Richard and Charlotte Perry in Southport, Connecticut, see: http://janandcoragordonart.blogspot.com/2014/12/jan-and-cora-gordon-richard-perry-and.html .

The Gordons exhibited at the Weyhe Gallery in New York in November-December 1927: http://janandcoragordonart.blogspot.com/2016/03/mr-and-mrs-jan-gordon-show-vagabonding.html

An article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette of December 4th 1927 records a talk given by Jan Gordon at the Carnegie Lecture Hall under the auspices of the Pittsburgh University department of fine arts. ( http://lifeartearth.blogspot.com/2013/02/jan-gordon-shocks-in-modern-art-used-up.html ). The article mentions that "amongst their exploits was entertaining an Arabian sideshow at Coney Island with lightning artist sketches and with their guitars. They also entertained on a show boat on the Mississippi." The comment in their lecture about "no new shocks in modern art" was used in a later edition of "Modern French Painters": http://janandcoragordonart.blogspot.com/2014/05/jan-gordon-no-new-shocks-prophecy-in.html .

The Carnegie Hall talk was at the start of their rambling journey towards San Francisco soon after the final sale of their 1920 Ford sedan, the "Happy Hearse": http://janandcoragordonart.blogspot.com/2014/11/jan-and-cora-gordon-in-usa-november.html

The second of the books from the USA trip, "Stardust in Hollywood", which starts with Jan Gordon recovering from a heart attack, contains many observations on the movie industry of the time (see "Behind the Film": http://janandcoragordonart.blogspot.com/2014/03/jan-and-cora-gordon-behind-film.html ).

There are also entertaining accounts of aggressive real estate salesmen ( http://janandcoragordonart.blogspot.com/2015/08/jan-and-cora-gordon-1928-salesmanship.html ) and the obsession with cars ( http://janandcoragordonart.blogspot.com/2015/08/jan-and-cora-gordon-californian-holiday.html ).

Whilst in Los Angeles, the Gordons met with English author Marion Milner and her husband Dennis: http://janandcoragordonart.blogspot.com/2015/09/jan-gordons-painting-for-beginners-and.html
Almost any suburb.jpg Published in 1929, an account of the first part of the Gordons' tour of USA. Frontispiece of On Wandering Wheels, Corn harvest in New Jersey. The old sheik at Coney Island (1927) from On Wandering Wheels (1929).
Easyport The Respectable Ruin, a 1920 Ford sedan, bought for $150. From On Wandering Wheels. THE LAST OF THE HEARSE This story (published in 1930) begins with Jan recuperating in a Los Angeles house.
Frontispiece of Star-Dust in Hollywood Behind the Film by Jan and Cora Gordon. The ocean liner set, from Behind the Film by Jan and Cora Gordon. A Californian Holiday, from Star-Dust in Hollywood
Gordons showboat.jpg Gordons motor camp.jpg Gordons astrologer.jpg Gordons fiddler.jpg