Name/Title
1914 circa - YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK: THRU GARDINER GATEWAY / Northern Pacific Railroad / Louis MoenDescription
Perhaps one of the most overlooked commercial poster designers of Yellowstone images is the Scandinavian-American Louis Moen. Whereas his name may not be well known in the commercial art world, his posters are instantly recognized by those familiar with early Yellowstone illustrations. This is particularly true for his circa 1914 iconic image of a stagecoach passing under the Roosevelt Arch and his follow-on circa 1916 era image showing a touring bus passing under the same arch. In addition to these two well recognized images, Moen is known to have designed at least four other Yellowstone travel posters, all for Northern Pacific Railroad and within the 1916-1918 period. These six posters were designed while Moen worked in the graphics art department of the St. Paul printer, Buckbee-Mears. After 1918, according to public documents, Moen was employed by Canadian publishing firms.
The image of the stagecoach passing under the Roosevelt Arch poster, like other Yellowstone images by Moen, is done in the classic ‘Germanic Poster’ format. It is a collage of recognizable Yellowstone scenes, dominated by the image of the arch bearing the title “Gardiner Gateway” rather than the arch’s actual inscription “For the benefit and enjoyment of the people”. The bottom of the poster reads “Randall St. Paul”, revealing the poster was printed in St. Paul by the Randall Company, a printer who specialized in Germanic Poster images. In the poster shown, a sticker bearing the message “Start Your Vacation Savings Account NOW!” is laid over the Northern Pacific Railroad (NPRR) monad which is faintly visible on the back of the poster.
Just as with their other compelling images, the NPRR reprinted this image for other uses. In this case, the image is known to have been used on a four page menu printed for the Dining Car Department of the railroad. The menu is unique in that it was designed to be mailed as a souvenir, as evidenced by its notation “If you desire to mail this card as a souvenir, address and turn over to dining car conductor, who will stamp and mail.”Create Date
May 31, 2026Update Date
June 2, 2026