| SOUTHWESTERN DUDE RANCHES This poster was designed in 1931 by Hernando Gonzalo Villa (1881-1952) for Santa Fe Railway. The image shows a typical cowboy from a Dude Ranch in the Southwest talking with a woman. The woman clearly is not from around there, she is wearing modern clothing and complements. With Santa Fe everyone could travel to the Southwest and meet real cowboys. Santa Fe Railway was founded in 1859. The company helped settle the mid-west in the later part of the 19th Century by selling real estate and farm land sanctioned by Congress. They became the second transcontinental railway to exist and expanded further with north-south routes in California. Santa Fe had a robust freight business and expanded its transportation reach with a bussing system. The company was featured in a 1945 song, “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe” sung by Judy Garland for the film “The Harvey Girls.” In 1996, the railway merged with the Burlington Northern Railway to form the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway. Hernando G. Villa was born in Los Angeles and studied art in School of Art & Design locally. Villa travelled to Europe to continue his studies and after moved back to Los Angeles where he opened his own studio. He created illustrations for many magazines and advertisement for Santa Fe for over 40 years. He designed for Santa Fe Railway the famous Chief emblem. Villa liked to work in oil, watercolor, pastel, and charcoal. His most frequent subjects were Native Americans, Mexican vaqueros, California missions, and coastal views. It measures 18 x 24 inches {scan and informations from ebay auction} |
