Wish You Were Here

When we heard HistoryMiami was exhibiting “Souvenir Maps and Plates,” we were a little nervous. Google Florida vintage souvenir, and one of the top hits is a St. Augustine spoon featuring a black man eating a watermelon. There's no denying our state's less-than-stellar history of race relations, so we might...

By Amanda McCorquodale

April 28, 2011

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When we heard HistoryMiami was exhibiting “Souvenir Maps and Plates,” we were a little nervous. Google Florida vintage souvenir, and one of the top hits is a St. Augustine spoon featuring a black man eating a watermelon. There's no denying our state's less-than-stellar history of race relations, so we might as well face this survey of material culture head-on. It's bound to be a nostalgic trip full of cringe-worthy caricatures and kitschy flare. Expect plenty of images of cigar-smoking flamingos on waterskis and pesky gators pulling off bikini bottoms. But really, such imagery is damn near classy when compared to the thong mugs and I'm in Miami Bitch swag currently sold on Lincoln Road. See “Souvenir Maps and Plates” through September 24.
Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, noon. Starts: May 10. Continues through Sept. 24, 2011

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