1950s Santa Fe Railway: San Francisco
By: Unknown Artist
Date: 1950s (circa) Chicago
Dimensions: 22 x 16 inches (56 x 40.5 cm)
This is a mid-century vintage poster made to promote the northernmost extension of the Santa Fe Railway that served the San Francisco Bay area. Unlike many of the other Santa Fe Railway posters, this image used for this one is not an artist illustration, but a long exposure photograph that blurs the head lights and brake lights of cars into distinct while and red lines. The image presents the Bay Bridge looking west as dusk sets upon the hills of San Francisco. The title and official logo of the railway are presented prominently at the bottom of the poster.
The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) was founded in 1859 at the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. The railway was largely responsible for "settling the west" by establishing a number of real estate offices to sell farmland through land grants awarded to them by congress. This further generated demand for railway service extension and frequency of travel. Eventually, the company offered a bus line service to help passengers reach unique and remote destinations not unsuitable for a major railroad. At one time, the ATSF operated a tugboat fleet, ferryboats in San Francisco, and a short-lived airline known as the Santa Fe Skyway. In 1996 the railway merged with its northern counterpart the Burlington Northern to become the BNSF Railway we know today.
Condition: This poster is in A+ condition, with lavish color on clean paper. The poster has been linen-backed for preservation and presentation purposes.
Inventory #12028
1200 W. 35th Street #425 Chicago, IL 60609 | P: (312) 496 - 3622