WILLARD FREDERIC ELMES (1900-1956) GOLF BY THE NORTH SHORE LINE. Gouache maquette. Circa 1923.
21 1/2x14 1/2 inches, 54 1/2x37 cm.
Condition A-: tears and minor flaking in image. Gouache on thick paper, separating from linen.
Elmes, who is best known for his Mather Work Incentive posters, also designed about a half-dozen images for the Chicago Rapid Transit and the North Shore Line in the 1920s. These images were originally painted, and then transferred onto separate lithographic stones for each color in the printing plants. "The lithographer's objective was to faithfully reproduce everything from color to texture and then register all the separate color levels during the printing process to replicate the original design. The final image was also enlarged to the standard 27"x41" one-sheet poster size for exterior display on the train platforms, etc." (http://www.printmag.com/design-inspiration). The poster was printed by the railway in 1923, the only difference between the final image and the maquette being the flag, which was removed. While a handful of these original paintings exist they are scarce.