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1938 Original Artwork for Key West Overseas Highway Promotion
KeyWest-overseashighway-1938$475.00
Title
Key West Florida The Gateway to Havana. The island city via the over-sea highway.
1938 (undated) 12.25 x 15.75 in (31.115 x 40.005 cm)
1938 (undated) 12.25 x 15.75 in (31.115 x 40.005 cm)
Description
This is the c. 1938 original hand-painted art board for an art deco period advertisement promoting the Over-Sea Highway - today U.S. Route 1 from Key Largo to Key West. The image depicts c. 1930s cars crossing the Long Bridge between Marathon and Big Pine Key. Long Bridge is now part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail and all automobile traffic has been rerouted to a modern parallel bridge. Nonetheless, the Long Bridge's classic arcs remain and the bridge itself is popular with hikers and anglers. In the foreground, vacationers fish under palm trees while a ferry - to Havana? - passes.
The F.E.C. extension to Key West, possibly the greatest railroad achievement of the era, was planned from about 1895, but not completed until 1912. It operated for little more than 20 years, heralding a golden age for the Florida Keys and Key West in general. Business magnates, presidents, and dignitaries rode the rails to Miami or Key West before embarking on Flagler’s Peninsular and Occidental Steamship Company to Havana, Cuba, and the Bahamas. Long after Flagler’s death, the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 destroyed some of the railroad bridges leading to Key West (the remains of which can still be seen) and the FEC, then insolvent, was unable to finance the repairs.
The tracks and bridges were sold to the state for $640,000. The state incorporated the F.E.C. infrastructure with the existing route 4A to build the Overseas Highway (U.S. 1). The conversion of the railroad bridges to automobile use was accomplished by Cleary Brothers Construction Co. of West Palm Beach, and the entire route to Key West was opened to the public in 1938.
The FEC and the Overseas Highway
The Overseas Highway is an auto route through the Florida Keys to Key West, considered one of the most beautiful roadways in the United States. The Overseas Highway has its origins in the Overseas Railroad, developed around the turn of the century by the Florida East Coast Railway (F.E.C.).The F.E.C. extension to Key West, possibly the greatest railroad achievement of the era, was planned from about 1895, but not completed until 1912. It operated for little more than 20 years, heralding a golden age for the Florida Keys and Key West in general. Business magnates, presidents, and dignitaries rode the rails to Miami or Key West before embarking on Flagler’s Peninsular and Occidental Steamship Company to Havana, Cuba, and the Bahamas. Long after Flagler’s death, the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 destroyed some of the railroad bridges leading to Key West (the remains of which can still be seen) and the FEC, then insolvent, was unable to finance the repairs.
The tracks and bridges were sold to the state for $640,000. The state incorporated the F.E.C. infrastructure with the existing route 4A to build the Overseas Highway (U.S. 1). The conversion of the railroad bridges to automobile use was accomplished by Cleary Brothers Construction Co. of West Palm Beach, and the entire route to Key West was opened to the public in 1938.
Publication History and Census
As original art, this piece is unique. We have been unable to connect the artwork with any known published advertisement - but then again, there were so many, this is not surprising.Condition
Good. Edge wear. On board. Some damage upper left and right side.