Southern Belle Train Advertising

In 1940, the Kansas City Southern Lines introduced the Southern Belle passenger train that traveled between Kansas City and New Orleans. It also traveled to Baton Rouge and Lake Charles in Louisiana. In Texas, it traveled to Port Arthur and Beaumont. To advertise the train, they published a song by Cecil Taylor titled Southern Belle for which the lyrics and sheet music can be read on the lower quadrants of the print. The cover page of the sheet music takes up the upper left quadrant where the title "Southern Belle" is scripted across the top above a young woman. She is an embodiment of the name, donning a formal dress and parasol. She stands before a framed scene of a plantation home beneath a haze of Spanish moss hanging from a tree in the foreground. The image is framed by scrolling detail against a pink background. The upper right quadrant, which would have been the back cover, gives information about the line and recognizes it as the "high note in travel comfort" while the ticket price is a "low note in travel cost" at one and three-fourths cent per mile. A drawing of the train cuts diagonally across the quadrant from the upper right-hand corner, enlarging at the bottom to appear fast and low-profile. One can imagine the amenities inside that are listed to the left such as bedroom roomettes, a diner, and a tavern. A map to the right provides a visual of the train's route and a border along the bottom lists the names of the passenger manager and agents whom one could contact in order to make reservations.
Southern Belle Train Advertising
Inventory
Collection Number
17219
Building
Current Location
Missouri Valley Room
Floor
5th
Description
Details
This is a print over a four-page layout of sheet music advertising Kansas City Southern's "Southern Belle" passenger train.
Artist
Framed
Yes
Width
1 1/4 inches
Height
68 inches
Length
51 1/4 inches
Donor
Donor Name
Jonathan Kemper
Library Owns
No
Permissions
Reproduce the Work in Library publications/publicity, including film or videotape
Yes
Reproduce
Library has Photography Rights
Yes
Photograph
Permit the general public to photograph the work
Yes
Slides/Video