Image:

Dorothy Sklar (1906-1996)

"Toonerville (Santa Monica Pier)"

1946

Watercolor on paper

The Hilbert Collection

The watercolors of Dorothy Sklar nearly all have a rather light-hearted comical look to them, resembling a still from an animated cartoon. The "Toonerville" amusement area was located just a few miles away from the Santa Monica school where Sklar had taught for some years. So-called “fun zones” like this were part of local history in Southern California. This painting is both an engaging piece of art and a historical documentation of the unusual architecture and bizarre attractions that were once very popular in traveling carnivals and permanent amusement parks.