A very handsome map of transportation services in the greater Kansas City area from 1941. A nicely subdued olive street grid is overlaid by the route lines – colour-coded by mode (black for streetcars, blue and red for bus lines, and a lovely aqua for trolleybuses). Areas of interest are called out in bright yellow, so this looks like a six-colour print job – quite a luxury in 1941!

There’s also a great downtown inset, a great ornate compass rose incorporating the logo of the Kansas City Public Service Co., and some fantastic 1940s typography throughout. What’s not to love?

Side note: Copy on the reverse of the map notes that the transportation company of 1941 “operates a fleet of 413 electric cars, 234 motor busses and 86 trolley busses, supplying service on 251 miles of street car routes, 191 miles of motor bus routes and 51 miles of trolley bus routes.”

Source: Kansas City Public Library