HERNANDO G. VILLA (1881-1952)

THE CHIEF . . . IS STILL CHIEF / SANTA FE. 1931.

42x28 1/4 inches, 106 1/2x71 3/4 cm. Newman-Monroe Co., Chicago.
Condition B+: small losses, creases and minor overpainting in margins; repaired tears at edges, one into upper left image.

Villa, who was born in Los Angeles to an artist father, became a painter and taught at the Los Angeles School of Art. He spent 44 years of his career designing advertising for the Santa Fe Railroad. Regarded for his Western paintings, he is best remembered for his work for the railroad, specifically his personification of the railroad's locomotive, The Chief. The Chief was the Santa Fe Railroad's high-speed train running from Chicago to Los Angeles, and by associating the train with a powerful Western image, Villa bestows a sense of nobility, strength and pride upon the railroad. Rare. Zega 99.