Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Going, going, gone: KC's TWA days on eBay
Posted
by Scott Wilson on
Tue, Mar 24, 2009 at 7:57 AM
click to enlarge
TWA is a distant memory now, and Kansas City's
fountains sit dry today, but yesteryear's come-hither tourism advertising is ready to jump-start the economy. The economy of an eBay seller in Shawnee who has listed this memento in
an auction ending tomorrow.
The good news: According to the signature on the print (also pictured with the listing), the poster is taken from a design by
David Klein, a midcentury wizard of abstract illustration.
The bad news: This is Klein past his prime, with a children's-menu font, a palette fit for a 1973 Kenmore kitchen, and familiar landmarks (Liberty Memorial being the most prominent) linked by gaudy bubbles. It reads "The City of Fountains," but it says: "Kansas City -- when you can't make it to Atlantis."
Of course, if it were going for $20 instead of (at this hour) $132.50, I'd have it on my office wall by the end of the month.
Tags: advertising art, City of Fountains, David Klein, TWA
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