Sale 2459 - Rare & Important Travel Posters, October 26, 2017

LESLIE RAGAN (1897-1972) 210 c NEW YORK CENTRAL SYSTEM / BUFFALO. Calendar back. 1953. 26 3 / 4 x17 3 / 4 inches, 68x45 cm. Condition A-: repaired tears and overpainting in margins, some affecting image; adhesive residue where calendar was originally affixed. Leslie Ragan was born in Iowa, and although he was largely a self-taught artist, he did study briefly at both the Cumming School of Art in Des Moines and the Art Institute in Chicago. He designed posters for the United States during the SecondWorldWar, but his largest account was with the New York Central Lines. “His work exemplified the American taste for realistic depiction while highlighting the natural environment for dramatic effect . . . Ragan’s sense of composition and refined wash technique made his best images burst with reflected light” (Zega p. 95). The New York Central Line commissioned a different image every year to adorn their calendars. Here, Ragan presents trains heading in both directions at the Buffalo Central terminal. [700/1,000]