In 1913, the Seattle Ad Club held a contest for a city slogan. “Seattle, The Seaport of Success” was chosen from some 10,000 entries and, until about 1935, appeared in local and national ads promoting the city and its trade.
In August 1919, following World War I, a large pageant was produced to celebrate the city. Using the city’s slogan as its title, it combined a carnival of nations with a history of Seattle. Most of the 1500 participants were women and girls, and they rehearsed in high schools all over the city. Some 25,000 attended the pageant at Denny Field on the University of Washington campus, the only location considered large enough for an event of this size.
Artist Sara Rea Vinsonhaler (1889-1958), who had just graduated as the first student in decoration at the UW College of Arts, designed the pageant poster. Her design, in “Italian blue,” white, orange, and black spanned the history of the city’s trade, from a Native canoe to a 20th century ship and the Seattle skyline. Landmarks visible in the poster include (left to right) the waterfront fire station, the Seattle steam plant, the Lowman & Hanford Building, the Seattle Hotel, and Smith Tower.
Printed on image: S. Vinsonhaler
Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times: February 6, 1913, p. 16; July 27, 1919, p. 20; and August 4, 1919 p. 3.
ID Number: 2018.103.1
Date: 1919
Physical Description: 1 poster : color ; 21 x 28 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
