The Subway Sun/Visit Fraunces Tavern
Artist
Fred Cooper
United States, 1883 - 1962
Date1938
MediumOffset Lithograph
Dimensions16 1/4 x 22 in. (41.3 x 55.9 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.8044
DescriptionThe Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) opened New York City’s original underground subway line in October 1904. In order to entice people to regularly use the subway, the IRT printed two in-car poster campaigns, The Elevated Express and The Subway Sun, that highlighted each borough’s unique attractions.This edition of The Subway Sun, designed by Fred Cooper, features an advertisement for Fraunces Tavern. Fraunces Tavern was named after Samuel Fraunces, who acquired the 1719 structure in 1762 and later became chief steward to the newly elected president, George Washington. The tavern, believed to be Manhattan’s oldest surviving building, was a popular meeting place for members of the Sons of Liberty and other political rebels during the American Revolution. It remains most famous as the site of George Washington’s farewell to his officers after the evacuation of the British army on December 4, 1783. Cooper’s depiction of this moving scene was likely inspired by an engraving by Howard Pyle published in an 1883 edition of Harper's Weekly. The extension of the IRT immediately increased ridership into Lower Manhattan at the Bowling Green and South Ferry stations. In 1910, the platforms were extended to accommodate more train cars for local and express service. Fraunces Tavern was among the many downtown historic sites that could be reached by subway.
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