Santa Fe - Meeting Of The Chiefs

This poster was designed in 1949 by Hernando Gonzalo Villa (1881-1952) for Santa Fe Railway. The title of the poster refers to meeting in the image between the Native American chief and one of Santa Fe trains, the Super Chief or The Chief. Both trains traveled Chicago to Los Angeles. The beautiful image shows the majestic Southwestern scenery and the juxtaposition between past and present. The Native American chief is riding a white horse, wearing the traditional feathered war bonnet and raising his spear to the passing train.

Santa Fe Railway was founded in 1859. The company helped settle the South-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 The School of Art & Design locally. Villa travelled to Europe to continue his studies and then moved back to Los Angeles where he opened his own studio. He created illustrations for many magazines and advertisements for Santa Fe for over 40 years. He designed the famous Chief emblem for the Santa Fe Railway. Villa liked to work in oil, watercolor, pastel, and charcoal. His most frequent subjects were Native Americans, Mexican vaqueros, California missions, and coastal views.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is printed on heavy weight paper and in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.