Railroad Nation

The Art of Selling America, 1825–1925

Carlos Arnaldo Schwantes

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Hardback

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English

Indiana University Press
10 June 2025

History of art & design styles: c 1800 to c 1900; Illustration & commercial art; Antiques & collectables: books, manuscripts, ephemera & printed matter; Trains & railways: general interest

Series: Railroads Past and Present

From passenger tickets, wall calendars, and advertising posters to train orders and bills of lading, railroads have left a colorful paper trail across America. In Railroad Nation, historian Carlos Arnaldo Schwantes examines a fascinating array of these materials, showcasing the railroad industry's incredible variety of eye-catching illustrations to enliven their timetables and promotional brochures.

Schwantes traces the evolution of railroad commercial art from drab black-and-white broadsides and text-only advertisements that the early railroads placed in local newspapers to the riotous mélange of color graphics in the early twentieth century, when the visual appeal of public timetables and their thousands of different brochures enticed settlers to create farms, ranches, and towns alongside newly laid tracks.

Railroad Nation offers readers an unparalleled look at the ephemera of the railroad industry, highlighting the vibrant history of railroading in America through its rich tapestry of visual materials.

By: Carlos Arnaldo Schwantes
Imprint: Indiana University Press
Country of Publication: United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Dimensions: Height: 254mm, Width: 254mm,
Weight: 1.361kg
ISBN: 9780253072245
ISBN 10: 0253072247
Series: Railroads Past and Present
Pages: 300
Publication Date: 10 June 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Carlos Arnaldo Schwantes is St. Louis Mercantile Library Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. He is author or editor of twenty books, including Electric Indiana: The Rise and Fall of the World's Greatest Interurban Railway Center, 1893–1941, and (with Peter Hansen and Don Hofsommer) Crossroads of a Continent: Missouri Railroads, 1851–1921. He grew up in Greenfield and Indianapolis, Indiana, and now lives in Missouri. He has taught undergraduate and graduate history for exactly fifty years, sixteen of which have been at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Reviews for Railroad Nation: The Art of Selling America, 1825–1925

""Railroad commercial art has a rich history that has long been underexplored. With Railroad Nation, Carlos Schwantes has provided an in-depth and fascinating study of how railroads have used visual imagery to sell their services and tell their stories.""—Scott Lothes, President and Executive Director, Center for Railroad Photography & Art