From the Bronx to the Battery: The Subway Sun

Opening in 1904, the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) was New York City’s original underground subway line. Initially extending from the Bronx to Lower Manhattan (with service to Brooklyn beginning in 1908) and running in tandem with the rest of the transit system, the IRT encouraged riders to travel outside of their communities to conveniently and affordably explore New York for both work and leisure.

In order to entice riders to utilize the subway more regularly, the IRT printed two in-car poster campaigns that highlighted each borough’s unique attractions. Of these, The Subway Sun, illustrated by Fred Cooper, was especially successful.