Postcards From Barbary Lane

This is an occasional series of mementoes from Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City, with visuals from the TV series and quotes from his books. Everyone has fond memories of the show from way back, and these are imaginary messages from 28 Barbary Lane. The vintage look illustrates the history of Tales which stretches all the way back to the 70s.

The first view of Number 28 Barbary Lane is a magical thing. Mary Anne Singleton is almost like Alice going down the rabbit hole, as she enters the leafy courtyard and the mystery of her future vanishes. Maupin’s words build intrigue, weaving a fable of San Francisco, compulsive for adventurers and dreamers alike.

Mona Ramsey’s cosmic chants are interrupted as an old friend phones to say he’s heading to Russian Hill. I love Chloe Webb’s expression here as she plays the spaced-out hippy designer…

Here’s the latest in the series. This time it’s Anna Madrigal, inspirational, enigmatic and eternally quotable. The most ingenious character in modern fiction is about to star in Armistead Maupin’s upcoming novel The Days of Anna Madrigal, and I did this digital painting to whet your appetite…

The cool thing about these is you can actually send them as postcards (by email of course) to your favourite Tales fan. Stay tuned for more Postcards soon.