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Catalogue information
LastDodo number
6140999
Area
Drawings / paintings
Title
Pulling the plug again
Artist
Art object
Art Movement / style
Genre
Material
Technique used
Colouring
Dimensions
40 x 32 cm
Series / hero
Collection / set
Number
Addition to number
Year
1970
Country
Language
Details
Original editorial cartoon in ink and crayon on card for Chicago Today, 1970, shows the ‘SS United States’ sinking to the sea bottom to join other vessels representing the end of ‘US merchant marine leadership’ while a sailor on a lifeboat labelled ‘labor costs’ watches it go down. The SS United States was a luxury passenger liner built in 1952 which operated uninterrupted in transatlantic passenger service until 1969, when it was taken out of service (as were most of the other transatlantic liners) because of high operating costs. The more general point here is that in for instance 1950 US carriers represented about 43 percent of the world's shipping trade. This had more than halved by 1970 and by 1995 the American market share had plunged to 4 percent, this despite the considerable growth in international sea trade during the period. It would seem that American enterprise has “missed the boat” in this particular sector of the economy. Card size 40 x 32 cm (15.5 x 13 inch), image size 36 x 30 cm, signed and dated lower left, caption in ink in upper border. In very good condition.