About the Exhibit
Northwestern University’s Transportation Library, founded in 1958, is one of the largest transportation research centers in the world. Our collection of over 500,000 volumes supports the current research of the University’s Transportation Center in all transportation modalities, including air, rail, highway, pipeline, water, urban transport and logistics.
This exhibit draws from the library’s special and circulating collections to highlight examples of graphic design and branding from airlines, railroads, and public transportation between the 1950s and 1970s. Examples include menus, timetables, annual reports, and other sources throughout the following collections, many of which were acquired by donation from our generous supporters.
About the Site Banner
The exhibit’s banner is a detail from the 1972 menu designed by Chermayeff & Geismar for Pan Am. The menu represented all of the flags served by Pan Am’s Flag Service in one image.
Collections in this Exhibit
William R. Hough Transportation Collection
The William R. Hough Transportation Collection is a collection centered mostly on rail and aviation materials spanning the 20th and 21st century. Currently it includes over 500 monographs, dozens of journal titles, reports, maps, timetables, menus, posters, bus stop signs and other memorabilia. Although the bulk of the items are from the US, there is a strong representation of Western European materials. The Northwestern University Transportation Library continues to receive items from the donor.
William Luke Transportation Collection
The William Luke Transportation Collection consists of 6,252 local transit maps, time tables, transit tickets, postcards and other materials from 98 countries and 38 US states. The maps and timetables were produced primarily for use by tourists. The collection is in 34 languages; many have captions and other text in multiple languages. Materials in the collection range in publication date from 1935 to 2012, with the majority of the collection dating from the late 20th century. Additionally, the collection contains one file of correspondence from the donor.
Lawrence M. Nagin Airline Menu and Memorabilia Collection
The Lawrence M. Nagin Airline Menu and Memorabilia Collection is a unique collection of transportation materials centered on the aviation industry of the late 20th century. Lawrence M. Nagin (1941-2009) was an airline executive with tenures at various airlines, notably Tiger Airlines, United Airlines, and US Airways. The collection is not limited to materials related to Lawrence Nagin’s professional career; a second component of the collection includes various materials from the travels of Lawrence Nagin and his wife Sherrie Nagin.
Ira Silverman Railroad Menu Collection
The railroad menus in the exhibit were drawn from the Ira Silverman Railroad Menu Collection, which represents 35 U.S. and Canadian railroads with 238 menus and pamphlets, dating from 1943-1993. This collection has been digitized and is accessible online.
David Toms Collection
The David Toms Collection consists of 1,059 transportation-related items from 123 airlines and cruise lines. The collection primarily consists of airline menus and safety cards, with a strong secondary component of airline-related ephemera and cruise ship menus. Items in the collection are in 27 languages; most items are in two or more languages. Materials in the collection range from the 1950s to the early 2000s.
Transportation Library Annual Report Collection
The library’s collection of more than 18,000 annual reports documents the financial and operational history of transportation companies around the world from the 1820s to the present, and is discoverable through the library’s catalog.
Transportation Library Menu Collection
The Transportation Library Menu Collection is accessible in its entirety online. The collection comprises some 400 menus from 54 national and international airline carriers, cruise ships, and railroad companies, dating from 1929 to the present, beginning with a gift to the library by pioneering anthropologist and Northwestern University alumnus George M. Foster and later expanded from other sources. Foster collected hundreds of menus on travels around the world, both in his work as an anthropologist and as a consultant for such agencies as the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
Rights
Northwestern University Libraries is dedicated to the fair and ethical preservation, digitization, curation, and use of its collections. This exhibit is made available to the public under Fair Use (Section 107 of the Copyright Act) for learning and teaching purposes, as well as to promote the mission and activities of Northwestern University Libraries (ARL Code of Best Practices in Fair Use). Northwestern University Libraries does not claim the copyright of any materials in this collection. If you are the copyright holder of any item(s) in this collection or have questions, comments or concerns about this exhibit, please contact us via email at library@northwestern.edu.
Thanks
Special thanks to the Transportation Library’s director, Roberto Sarmiento, for support and input in executing this exhibition, and for curating the library’s collections to make such an exhibit possible. Thanks also to Joe Ellison, Transportation Library Specialist, for digitization support and teamwork.
Materials in the exhibition come from our special collections, mainly acquired from the generous donors listed above. Thanks to the Transportation Library’s supporters for entrusting us with their unique and fascinating collections.
Many thanks to Northwestern University Libraries’ Liz Hamilton, Josh Honn, Brittan Nannenga, Lauren McKeen, and Clare Roccaforte.
–Rachel Cole, Curator