Unlike the railroad poster, this Jungle Cruise poster is not numbered or signed; I wonder why? I'm guessing that, like the Bicentennial RR poster, it also used 60 colors used in its production. This is the only example that I personally have ever seen with my two eye bones, though there are certainly others out there (didn't Chris Merritt say he had one?); it was in pretty rough shape when I got it - perhaps it was actually displayed in the park at one time. I decided to have it mounted onto a linen backing, but was too miserly to pay for the touch-ups that it still needs, which is why you will see tiny white dots in places. I could probably do it myself with some watercolors if I wasn't so lazy. Anyway, here it is in its entirety...
The elaborate border is beautifully rendered. Check out the colorful insects and tiki masks, not to mention that scary snake. I'm no reptile expert, but that appears to be cross between a boa constrictor and a diamondback rattlesnake. And a moose. Those poison glands are full of venom!
Iguana, butterflies, orchids...
The boat is named "Tropic Queen", which is not among the names of the Disneyland boats OR the WDW launches (it breaks the rule of naming each craft after a river!). My guess is that they chose a generic name that could be used at both parks. Was a Florida version every produced? The skipper is about to get a spear through his throat, and doesn't even know it.
Gracious that's a beautiful poster! Wow. The streaming light is another thing that gets me. I could stare at that for hours, until I get tse tse delirium, and Jungle Fever.
ReplyDeleteThis poster is one of my favorites....it's a classic Jim Micahelson "Window frame" poster he was well known for. I have a rolled unframed original screened for Disneyland as well as a Walt Disney World version which is mounted and in the same frame that it was once displayed in under the tunnels of the WDW Main Street Station. This poster was also used at Tokyo Disneyland. The white spots may be areas where ink has been removed--this was comon if the posters of this period are not protected with a special tissue paper-while in storage. If the poster is rolled it probably was never used as the Disneyland display departments would mount them to masonite or as in Florida, they are mounted up against plexi. Originally WED hoped to enter this poster in the Silkscreen Guild's "Golden Squeegy" awards for 1976, but they didn't have it completed in time for that year's entry. I bet it would have won!
ReplyDeleteThat is one fabulous poster. It certainly is not your standard circus poster. Has an almost Drew Struzan look to it.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous scans! Sure beats the 5x7 notecard reproduction I have...
ReplyDeletejealous! i would love one of these!
ReplyDeleteMine is from DL - but mounted on plex... Hmmm - a bit more faded than what you show here.
ReplyDeleteChris, mine was rolled but in very wrinkled, messed up condition. It looks much better now that it's linen-mounted, but still needs work.
ReplyDeleteMike Cozart, thanks as always for the additional info, I bow to your expertise! And am jealous of your rolled unframed version.
gorgeous!! what detail
ReplyDelete...definitely one of my favorites