Otto Brenneman’s 1926 poster Visit the Workshop of America by South Shore Line presents the industrial Midwest not as scenery to be passed through, but as a destination in its own right. Two muscular smiths dominate the composition, their dark forms gathered around an anvil as one raises a hammer and the other bends towards the work. Behind them, furnaces flare, factory windows glow and smokestacks rise into a darkened sky. Saturated orange and yellow turn heat, smoke and artificial light into the poster’s chief spectacle.

The slogan “Workshop of America” reflects a distinctly 1920s confidence in manufacturing, infrastructure and regional economic power. At a time when railway companies relied on concise copy and forceful graphics to encourage travel, Brenneman offered an unusual proposition: visitors should come not for an untouched landscape or celebrated monument, but to witness industry itself. The South Shore Line’s association with Illinois and Indiana made this imagery especially resonant, connecting the railway with a corridor of factories, cities and productive energy.

A closer look

The workers form the visual and symbolic centre of the design. Their bodies are modelled through abrupt contrasts of highlight and shadow rather than delicate detail, giving their gestures exceptional clarity. The lifted hammer establishes a strong diagonal, while the broad anvil anchors the lower-left portion of the scene. Tools, arms and shoulders interlock in a compact arrangement that conveys exertion without sacrificing the immediate legibility required of a railway poster.

Light appears to come from the industry surrounding them. At middle right, the furnace burns in bands of yellow and orange, casting the figures into near silhouette and producing transitional shades through the smoke. Cooler greys and dense blacks contain this heat, intensifying the colour by contrast. Above, multiple chimneys puncture the skyline; their smoke trails gather into a heavy atmospheric canopy, making the upper field feel active even where the forms become simplified.

The lower section expands the scene from individual labour to an entire industrial landscape. Factories, roads and lit windows are reduced to a stylised city plan, layered beneath the monumental workers as though the region they serve stretches out at their feet. The wording at the upper edge — “Visit The Workshop of America” — acts almost as a headline over the foundry scene, while “by South Shore Line” completes the journey from evocative slogan to practical advertisement. A narrow decorative border holds these elements together without competing with the central action.

Context and significance

Interwar transport posters had to communicate quickly in stations and other busy public settings. Brenneman’s design answers that demand with flat areas of colour, emphatic outlines and a carefully controlled hierarchy: slogan first, workers second, railway identity last. Yet its appeal lies in more than efficiency. By enlarging the smiths above the cityscape, it gives manual labour the scale usually reserved for heroic or allegorical figures, while the illuminated factories transform night-time production into a theatrical display.

The poster is also a revealing document of how place could be marketed before leisure travel became dominated by images of escape. Here, modernity is the attraction: furnaces, chimneys and concentrated human effort stand for a region understood through what it makes. Brenneman’s limited palette and upward-driving composition preserve that sense of momentum, turning the industrial landscape of Illinois and Indiana into a bold emblem of 1920s progress and regional pride.

Choosing the right size and finish

Artwork can feel intimate at smaller sizes and dramatically more architectural at larger ones. Use the room preview, model image and size guide to see how the proportions and scale will work in your space.

If you need an exact size, specialist framing or help planning a larger display, ask our workshop for advice.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this art print.

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Choose Original to retain the colour and character of the source artwork, or Aged for a warmer, more antique appearance. See examples of our Aged artwork.

Every piece is produced to archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte art paper. Choose an art print, framed art print or framed canvas using the finish options above.

Framed art prints use crystal-clear optical acrylic for excellent clarity, lower weight and safer delivery than glass. Each piece arrives professionally framed and ready to hang.

Selected artworks can be produced at statement sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). Custom sizing and specialist framing are also available. If the exact option you need is not listed, contact our workshop.

This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.