New Exhibit Opening: Experience the West: Sunset Cover Art

On April 5, 2016, the San Mateo County History Museum will open its newest exhibit in the first floor central rotunda entitled, Experience the West: Sunset Cover Art. Originally a promotional magazine for the Southern Pacific Railroad, Sunset was established in 1898. The magazine was purchased in 1929 by advertising executive Lawrence W. Lane who changed the format to have a Western lifestyle emphasis. From 1951 through 2015, Sunset was headquartered in Menlo Park in San Mateo County. Referred to as the Laboratory of Western Living, the campus included test gardens and a test kitchen and served as the location for much of the magazine’s photography. Experience the West: Sunset Cover Art features framed pieces that once graced Sunset’s Menlo Park offices. Each piece presents an original Sunset magazine cover ranging from 1898 to 1981. Among the 16 Sunset covers that will be exhibited is the inaugural May 1898 edition.

The exhibit is expected to run through June 23, 2016.