Nov 10, 2008 - Sale 2161

Sale 2161 - Lot 144

Price Realized: $ 1,920
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
WILLIAM P. WELSH (1889- ?) SPEED TO WINTER PLAYGROUNDS / PULLMAN. 1935.
26 3/4x20 1/4 inches, 68x51 1/2 cm. Charles Daniel Frey Company, Chicago.
Condition A- / B+: creases and abrasions in margins and image.
One in a rare series of Art Deco ads for the Pullman railway company whose fancy carriages and fine service had become virtually synonymous with luxury travel. As opposed to highlighting their luxurious accommodations, Welsh created a series of posters focusing on the glamorous nature of the women who traveled with Pullman, the destinations that could be reached and the leisure activities that could be engaged in upon arriving. Throughout the series the beautiful ladies are depicted as strong, independent, emancipated women relishing their leisure time. The posters are all marked by sophisticated, geometric, Art Deco-styled patterns as seen here in the water, sun and wake from the sailboat. Zega p. 109.