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1960 Soltesz Pictorial Map of American Folklore and Legends
FolkloreLegends-soltesz-1960-2$125.00
Title
Folklore and Legends of Our Country.
1960 (dated) 24 x 35.25 in (60.96 x 89.535 cm) 1 : 6000000
1960 (dated) 24 x 35.25 in (60.96 x 89.535 cm) 1 : 6000000
Description
This is a 1960 Frank J. Soltesz and Esso pictorial map of the United States celebrating national folklore and legends. Recognizable figures include Paul Bunyan and his Blue Ox, Long Jon Silver, Moby Dick, Jonny Appleseed, the heroes of the Alamo (including Davy Crockett), the Headless Horseman, and John Henry, among others. Insets in the lower left focus on the folklore and legends of Hawaii and Alaska - respectively. The verso includes explanatory text and a pictorial road map of the United States.
Publication History and Census
The map was created by Frank J. Soltesz and published by the Humble Oil and Refining Company in 1960. Humble Oil was part of the ESSO (Exxon Mobile). The ENCO / Humble Oil name was associated with retail service stations throughout the American Southwest. This map appears on the market from time to time.Cartographer
Frank J. Soltesz (June 14, 1912 - March 21, 1986) was an American artist and commercial illustrator. Born in Pennsylvania, Soltesz was active from the 1930s until the 1960s. He is most well-known for a series of advertisements published between 1947 and 1951 for the Armstrong Cork Company featuring illustrated cross-sections of buildings and factories. These advertisements, published in the Saturday Evening Post, are wonderfully detailed and garnered instant popularity. The images were so compelling that the Saturday Evening Post offered 21 by 22 inch prints suitable for framing upon request. Soltesz also illustrated for other companies, among them TWA, General Motors, Goodyear, and General Electric. His work appeared in various periodicals of the era, such as Colliers, Sports Illustrated, Life, Fortune, Time, Esquire, Business Week, and U.S. News and World Report. Soltesz married Loretta Simms on June 13, 1941, with whom he had two daughters and a son. More by this mapmaker...
Condition
Very good. Light wear along original fold lines. Text and road map on verso.