sacred themes of TheMountain of theHoly Cross, the biblical allusions at Zion, and the rainbow inYellowstoneLake" (p. 178). The Yellowstone National Park set a new standard for chromolithographie reproduc tion, doing so at a timewhen chromos were being debased by the critics, who came to see them as garish, tasteless copies. Kinsey posits that this attitudewas an aspect of the incho ate agenda tomarginalize multiples in favor of unique originals ? a bias that, she argues somewhat tenuously, led to modernism's privi legingof purely original artby primarilymale artists.Although Prang had hoped that the portfolio would demonstrate once and forall thebeauty and artisticvalue of chromolitho graphs, the publication did not receivemuch criticalapplause in itsown day, though itisnow highly regarded.As illustratedinKinsey's book, thechromos are indeedverybeautiful ina clear, luminous, icy, magically colored way. Despite theirdocumentary nature and intent,theyare dream-like, almost surreal images for Ameri canswho were imagining terrain that seemed home to both God (in the shaftsof sunlight drenching the soaring peaks) and thedevil (in thesulphurous caldrons bubblingwith scalding liquids). There can be no doubt that,forthose who saw it,theportfolio helped color in literal and imaginativeways popular perceptions of themysterious American West. This isan illuminating,well-written text in need of just a little more editing; for instance, theword "however" isused so often as tobe a distraction and ina good many cases could be deleted to good effect. Roger Hull Willamette University,Salem, Oregon LETTERS To theEditor: Professor Patricia Schechter's "The Labor of Caring: A History of the Oregon Nurses Associa tion" in the Spring 2007 issue concludes with a very embarrassing error that should not be left uncor rected. The last sentence quotes Connie Weimer and describes her as a "long time ONA union rep resentative." Weimer is not a union representative. She is a federal mediator charged with resolving labor disputes in the private sector, which she has done since 1984. Schechter would have been more accurate towrite that "a long time ago" Weimer was an ONA representative. There are more problems. In the context of the 2001 ONA strike at theOre gon Health Sciences University, Schecter estimates the hourly pay rate of RN's as between $18 and $20. That isway off even without factoring in the value of benefits, which was a major issue in that strike and creates a false impression ofthat work stoppage, of ONA, of RNs and of reality. The article mentions a decertification effort by the Oregon Federation of Nurses against the ONA but the date iswrong and the forest of an interesting and complex relationship between these two organizations is ignored for this fairly small tree. At least one major strike in the Portland area isunmentioned while strikes by nurses inMinnesota and California are cited. The vignettes on registered nurses prominent in ONA's history are interesting and highlight impor tant diversity within nursing. The pictures summon, no doubt, warm memories formany. But these are minor strong points in an article that, in the end, could have told this story better. Jim Pruitt Portland, Oregon To theEditor: Regarding Connie Weimer's tenure at theOregon Nurses Association (ONA), my sentence should more accurately have read "former" organizer rather than "long-time." I am well aware that Weimer became atfederal mediator in1984;thatIdescribed her approximately five-year tenure at ONA more expansively than I should have is a fair point (I thought itwas ten years). 508 OHQ vol. 108, no. 3 The rest of the issues raised by Mr. Pruitt are substantially without merit. Regarding Oregon Health Sciences University nurse salaries in 2001, the figure $18 to $20 isneither an "estimate" nor is it "way off," as the writer sug gests. My sentence clearly indicates that the figure is a "starting range" for wages. I again confirmed thesefiguresforthislettertoOHQ. Not onlydid media sources like the Oregonian report the overall hourlyratefor OHSU nurses tobe $18 to$28 (see, for example, "OHSU Has Paid $648,000 forNurses," December 22,2001), but these figures further check out against the 1999-2001 contract (p. 74,Appendix A-Salary Schedule), which shows $17.23 to $27.43 as the hourlypay rangefor RN classifications atOHSU for 1999 and $17.68 to $28.12 for 2000. My...
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