The 1940 pictorial map “Mountain Playground of the University of Colorado – A Fantastical Map” by Gwendolyn Dufill Meux is a colorful, imaginative depiction of the mountainous region around Boulder. Filled with whimsical illustrations, the map features snow-capped peaks, winding trails, wildlife, skiers, hikers, and blending real geography with playful fantasy. Key landmarks include the University of Colorado campus, alpine cabins, and popular recreation spots like skiing areas and hiking routes. Meux’s detailed, artistic style transforms the landscape into a lively, storybook-like setting that highlights the area’s natural beauty and outdoor spirit.

Meux made her way to Colorado in 1923 when she attended the University Camp summer painting workshop in Boulder, Colorado, where she met A. Gayle Waldrop, then an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Colorado (CU). In 1925 they were married in an outdoor wedding at the University Camp to which guests received invitations on aspen bark which she had beautifully lettered. Thereafter the university hired her as an art instructor, and she spent the balance of her life in Boulder. Meux quickly became involved in the Boulder art scene. She was a charter member and later one-time president of the Boulder Artists Guild. Established in 1926 by the Art Association of Boulder, the CU Art Department and local artists, the Guild was limited to active artists. It included most of the city’s professional artists before disbanding half a century later. The Art Association of Boulder was founded in 1923 by Jean Sherwood who relocated from Chicago to teach at the Boulder Chautauqua and helped convince Dean Fred B.R. Hellems at CU to set up the first art gallery on campus in the 1920s. The Association, lasting until 1939 and reconstituted in 1958, was open to individuals interested in promoting the arts through lecture programs, art classes, and exhibits. Deeply inspired by the Colorado landscape, she worked across a range of media including oil, watercolor, ink, crayon, lithography, and dry brush techniques.