YCBA
Bus shelters, blank walls and shop windows lined with colorful posters advertising products, local activities and a suggestion for a convenient route to get there — that is not so farfetched an idea for CT Transit’s New Haven lines. For inspiration, check out the new exhibit just a short bus ride and walk from one of the many routes passing by the Yale Center for British Art on Chapel Street.
The exhibit showcases various posters from the early 1900s up until the 1970s that would have been displayed all over London-above and below ground-to advertise the transit system as well as a various products, parks, and activities.
Entitled “Art for All: British Posters for Transport,” the exhibit opened last week and runs through Aug. 15. It offers a glimpse into not only the urban reality that was 20th century London, but the urban reality that can be New Haven in the 21st.
The Underground Railways of London, commonly referred to simply as “The Underground” even though about half the rail was above ground, were monopolized in the early 20th century by consolidating many separate, privately owned, rail lines that operated in the city of London. The single ownership allowed for rapid expansion, uniform upgrading and more accountability; while this choice sacrificed competition for convenience, the improvements in service were noticeable. A comprehensive system plan with all lines and stops could now be developed out of what was previously a series of disconnected lines that had to be experienced to learn them.
Frank Pitts, the creator of the poster campaign, saw the artwork advertisements as a way of compensating people for the inevitable inconveniences of transit-rail repairs, accidents, maintenance, etc-by providing waiting passengers with interesting, beautiful and informative pieces of art. Posters were typically either about 2’ by 4’ or full size 4’ by 6’, which could be displayed in tunnels, passageways, along waiting decks, or incorporated into building facades on the street. Originally, the posters advertised the various rail lines that a passenger could take for a fun afternoon at any number of locations around London. There might be boat races advertised one weekend and a day at the beach the next along with the most convenient rail line that could take you there.
Another important function of the posters was to encourage smart usage of the transit system. This was accomplished by promoting off-peak use of the rail lines to reduce discomfort and cramped conditions during commuting times.
Professional artists, many of whom also made art for magazines and traditional advertisers, were employed by The Underground to create drawings that could be sent to printers for transferring to the posters. Lithography was the most common technique used to create the posters and mass produce them, but the silk screen process was also deployed in the later years of the poster campaign. These techniques allowed modifications to be made to the posters; new layers for captions, titles or backgrounds meant that posters could be tested out and improved upon or different versions of the same poster could be released simultaneously.
During World War II, many of The Underground’s tunnels were used as bomb shelters and after the war, the posters were a powerful social tool to showcase the collective spirit and strength of the London people. A poster from 1949, produced by Walter Ernest Spradbery, shows one of the city’s magnificent churches still standing tall and proud even as the surrounding blocks are visibly bombed out in the background of the poster. Instead of hiding reality, the poster triumphs in the face of adversity by implying that London will rebuild stronger and not forget.
While the war never reached the continental United States and our cities weren’t bombed to smithereens, many of our neighborhoods look like they might as well have been. The vacant lots and rotting or burned out frames of a once proud and defining New Haven building stock are a constant reminder of the problems that face this city and cities across the country. However, with an effective ad campaign, these problems can be turned into opportunity, as every lot and every abandoned house provides development potential that is unmatched in terms of cost efficiency, energy output, material use and long-term adaptability anywhere else in the country.
Much of New Haven’s tourism and entertainment initiatives consider modes of transportation very little when considering how to make this city a vital center once again. Aggressively pursuing transit as a viable alternative to driving would decrease demand for expensive and wasteful parking garages and lots, decrease the need for high capacity roads with many lanes, improve air quality, reduce obesity and asthma, increase demand for development due to increased transit-associated pedestrian activity, and numerous other benefits. New Haven has a plethora of long, blank walls that are calling for some type of activating presence like posters.
In order to get private interests to feel that advertising on relatively small posters is worthwhile, there has to be a solid transit ridership of middle class people, who happen to be the key consuming demographic in our society. The posters may have to start off as publically funded to advertise bus routes and destinations, but once service improves and the stigma that is often associated with transit is lifted, the general public will likely flock to this affordable and convenient transportation model. In the long term, for transit to be an adequate replacement for driving, the car-oriented developments of the post World War II era will have to be dealt with through retrofitting, complete remodeling or, in some cases, demolition. If Downtown Chapel Street is the ideal for a commercial center, then we have to allow for the creation of new commercial districts that are just as successful and this cannot be accomplished if numerous side streets have to be decimated to make way for parking. Transit is the only transportation model that allows for continuous networks of dense urban street frontage and spacious living standards because once mass car usage is required, the storage space replaces urbanism.
All it takes is a hop on the D bus to visit beautiful Front Street Park overlooking the Quinnipiac River, or a ride on the B bus to the Westville Farmer’s market and commercial Main Street. The O bus can take you to work at Science Park, while the J route goes by Edgerton Park and Z will drop you off at the Historic City Point neighborhood. There is a sizable artist community in New Haven and the posters would be a great way for young artists to get free publicity, and the general public can be informed about upcoming events, year round activities and convenient bus routes while enjoying local art.
Even if London-inspired transit posters seem unrealistic or irrelevant for New Haven the exhibit is an fascinating showcase of some of the most influential and recognizable European artworks at the British Art Museum for people interested in modern art, transit history, or time-consuming weekend activities. There is another summer-long exhibit at the Yale Art Gallery of Italian paintings from a private collection that has works dating back seven centuries. You can get there by bus.
Great Read!