The biggest problem I have with 1950's coloring books is that they tend to have great covers but the artwork inside is mostly always a bit ho-hum. Not here. The initials "KW" on the cover of this Union Pacific Coloring Book from 1958 remain the only clue to whoever was responsible for the gloriously jagged line work, the swirly cheeked people, the water gun totin' bear, the smiling conductors, etc... it's all quite awesome. A brief intro from UPR states this coloring book was developed primarily for distribution on their trains (along with FREE crayons) so that youngsters on board would have something to occupy their time, combined with the educational value of teaching basic railroading with pictorial representations of western vacation regions. I'll have the final remaining pages of this coloring book in our next post, which also includes a few more pages hand colored by "Jeanne", whoever she was.
To be continued...
4 comments:
Man - this is so cute! I've always loved taking the train and I love that last pic of the dining car - my fave spot on the train!
That cowboy frying up some breakfast is where it's at for me! I'm a little too antsy pants for trains, I think... I've done it twice now, from STL once to Chicago, and another time to New Orleans and both times I couldn't wait to get off, coming and going.
I love train rides. Way better than the bus because you can get up, saunter down to the old dining room car and listen to a hobo play the geetar. Or you can dress in your dinner whites and solve a murder. Or you can meet some cute somebody and then the train goes into a tunnel. Best of all, at the end of the day you're in New Orleans. Or Moscow.
I love the swimming trunks on those bears. This really is the best coloring book I've ever seen.
Part two of the best coloring book you've ever seen-- UP NEXT!
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