El Tovar Poster

LIMITED EDITION PRINT OF 1200

El Tovar, the understated lodge sitting on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, was built before the Canyon was formally bestowed a National Park. A project of the Santa Fe Railway, El Tovar was originally envisioned as a small hotel. Architect Charles Whittlesey ultimately spent $250,000 to create the lodge which was named after the Spanish Pedro de Tobar (or de Tovar), who had reported that a large river ran through the region.

This Posterette remaster has been crafted from a lithograph painted by Joe Gleason (1881 - 1959), a native of California. Known for his landscapes and marine paintings, Gleason also wrote and illustrated several books on maritime history of the California Coast. At age fourteen he worked for the Union Engraving Company, obviously gaining knowledge of the printing and publishing world. His first art training was at the University of Southern California. As a pupil of Lees Judson, Gleason eventually supported himself as a commercial artist. Undoubtedly this is where is landed the commission to capture the Native American culture along the Santa Fe Railroad's western route.

This unnamed work of a Navajo woman and child captures the drama of life along the rim of the Grand Canyon with its foreground detail stark against the distant views across the Canyon. Undiscovered until recently, Posterette's work to the 1909 lithograph involved careful retouching and color mastering to preserve the color and detail of the original. The original typography, hand painted by Gleason, has been left identical to the original.

The El Tovar Lodge, as any visitor to the Grand Canyon will attest, is one of the most alluring spots imaginable. Built from local limestone and Oregon pine, the porch of the lodge sits just 20 feet (6.1m) from the edge of the Grand Canyon. One of the first hotels allowed in a National Park, El Tovar joined locales such as Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks along a new route ripe with rail passengers looking for adventure in the West. The railroads, Santa Fe especially, sought a high level of architectural and graphic design to promote their new routes and stops.

• Limited Edition
• Each Print is Numbered - Posterette prints that are limited are certified to a set production quantity. If the edition is numbered it will be shipped in sequence. The print number will be determined by the sequence of your order and previously shipped orders. You may inquire on the availability of specific print numbers by contacting us.
• Renewable Wood Frame - Posterette uses renewable wood composite frames. These frames are durable and manufactured from recycled wood fiber. The surface and sides of frame sections feature a Canadian Walnut finish.
• Clear Styrene "Glass" - Styrene "glass" is a remarkably strong, flexible, and lightweight product that takes the place of traditional glass. We use styrene instead of glass so our products may be shipped without breaking. While clear styrene is produced through manufacturing, styrene occurs in the environment and is a natural component of many common foods, such as coffee, strawberries and cinnamon. Should you prefer glass in our framed products, the styrene is easily removed and may be recycled with other plastics.