1934 A Good-Natured map of the United States...
A good-natured map of the United States setting forth the services of The Greyhound Lines and a few principal connecting bus lines
By: Greyhound Lines
Date: 1934 (Published) Cleveland
Dimensions: 19 x 29.25 inches (48.3 x 74.3 cm)
This bright and fun pictorial map from 1934 is an object of true promotional Americana, designed to appeal to the burgeoning class of travelers who availed themselves of the services provided by Greyhound during the heyday of bus travel in the United States.
The first Greyhound bus began operation in Hibbing, Minnesota, in 1914 (see the illustration at the top center of the map). At the time of publication, the Golden Gate Bridge was under construction and would not open until 1937. While there is an illustration of the Golden Gate, not routes traverse that connection between Sausalito and San Francisco.
Caricatures and captions throughout the map run the gamut from humorous and charming to politically incorrect. A Texan in a ten-gallon hat and high-heeled boots boasts that “Thar’s room in Texas for all of Yurrup and half of Africa, yes suh.”
America’s ethnic and regional perceptions of itself are made manifest by caricatures throughout the map, whose illustrations condone the social and racial stereotypes denoted in the map’s pictorials—Native American Indians snake dancing, African Americans picking cotton—all captioned with down home, folksy lingo.
Condition: Map is in B+ condition with some minor fold separations at the end of the centerfold and along some fold intersection which is quite common among these maps.
Inventory #11640
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