1927 Voorhies New England Railroad Promotional Calendar

Rare railroad calendar.

A rare unused 1927 railroad calendar by Stephen J. Voorhies. Coverage embraces parts of New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts - highlighting the vital New York - Boston corridor. The calendar promotes the services of the New England Steamship Company, the New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and the New England Transportation Company - steamships, trains, and buses, respectively. An impressive locomotive takes center stage, but a bus, steamship, trolley, and elegant railway bridges are also represented.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Stephen Jerome Voorhies and printed by Rand McNally for the above companies. We note a poster version of the map in Stephen J. Hornsby's Picturing America (plate 105), but the only other example of the calendar we are aware of is one we sold in 2018.

Cartographers

Stephen Jerome Voorhies (July 23, 1899 - January 24, 1972) was an American commercial artist and cartographer based in New York in the mid-19th century. Voorhies was born in Brooklyn, New York. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I. Afterwards he settled in Long Island, commuting to an office in New York City where he advertised design services for 'cartoons, illustration, jacket designs, map design, poster design, showcards, and spot drawings.'   Further Details...

Rand, McNally and Co. (fl. 1856 - present) is an American publisher of maps, atlases and globes. The company was founded in 1856 when William H. Rand, a native of Quincy, Massachusetts, opened a print shop in Chicago. Rand hired the recent Irish immigrant Andrew McNally to assist in the shop giving him a wage of 9 USD per week. The duo landed several important contracts, including the Tribune's (later renamed the Chicago Tribune) printing operation. In 1872, Rand McNally produced its first map, a railroad guide, using a new cost effective printing technique known as wax process engraving. As Chicago developed as a railway hub, the Rand firm, now incorporated as Rand McNally, began producing a wide array of railroad maps and guides. Over time, the firm expanded into atlases, globes, educational material, and general literature. By embracing the wax engraving process, Rand McNally was able to dominate the map and atlas market, pushing more traditional American lithographic publishers like Colton, Johnson, and Mitchell out of business. Eventually Rand McNally opened an annex office in New York City headed by Caleb S. Hammond, whose name is today synonymous with maps and atlases, and who later started his own map company, C. S. Hammond & Co. Both firms remain in business.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Minor water damage to calendar, bottom edge. Some foxing on map. Edge Wear.

References

Hornsby, S. J., Picturing America: The Golden Age of Pictorial Maps, page 188, plate 105.