Poster House Spring 2025 Capsule Exhibition: From the Bronx to the Battery: The Subway Sun at Poster House

Poster House, the first museum in the United States dedicated to the global history of posters, will present new capsule exhibitions for the spring 2025 season. From the Bronx to the Battery: The Subway Sun will open to the public on April 24, 2025 and close on November 2, 2025

From the Bronx to the Battery: The Subway Sun, curated by Es-pranza Humphrey, features 17 posters designed between 1937 and 1939 by illustrator and type designer Fred Cooper, who created the unified look of The Subway Sun, a series of weekly advertisements promoting the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT).

In 1904, the IRT opened New York City’s original underground subway line, extending from the Bronx to Lower Manhattan and later adding service to Brooklyn. The convenient and affordable IRT encouraged riders to travel beyond their communities for work and leisure. Cooper brought his signature cartoons and special lettering to enticing images of New York City in The Subway Sun. His advertisements encouraged New Yorkers and tourists to regularly use the subway and visit notable locations in other boroughs, like the Van Cortlandt Mansion, The New York Botanical Garden, Orchard Beach and The Cloisters.