![[3735155] W.W. Denslow Poster Art, ca. 1896: Why Travel? Rand, McNally Standard Atlas of the World. William Wallace Denlsow.](https://rareamericana.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/3735155.jpg?width=768&height=1000&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1749761469)
W.W. Denslow Poster Art, ca. 1896: Why Travel? Rand, McNally Standard Atlas of the World.
Who needs the Santa María? We got Rand, McNally!
A handsome example of late 19th-century American poster design by W. W. Denslow, produced as part of his fourteen-poster commission for Rand, McNally to sell their Standard Atlas of the World.
Signed in the plate with Denslow’s distinctive seahorse monogram, the scene shows a seated Christopher Columbus in his library. As an armchair explorer (“Why Travel?” the poster asks) he consults Rand, McNally’s atlas while being served wine and cheese. A frame picture of his flagship the Santa Maria is seen above his head.
William Wallace Denslow (American illustrator, 1856–1915) was active in the Chicago arts scene, contributing to The Echo and The Inland Printer, and in 1896 joined Elbert Hubbard’s Roycroft community as a designer. Best known for his illustrations for L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), Denslow’s work is marked by strong outlines, narrative wit, graphic economy, and commercial appeal.
Description: W.W. Denslow Poster Art, ca. 1896: Why Travel? Rand, McNally Standard Atlas of the World.
Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co., [ca. 1896]. Chromolithographic poster, 14 x 18 inches; framed to 21 x 24¾ inches, glazed. Minor foldmark and an unobtrusive small, closed tear extending into the image. A bright and clean example; a very good copy.
[3735155]Price: $2,500.00