Fred Harvey Menu

Remember the Harvey Girls with Judy Garland? This is the restaurant that inspired the movie. It is a menu design for Fred Harvey restaurants that were once a famous chain of eateries that served railroad depots. This one is from El Tovar Hotel in Grand Canyon, Arizona. The menu is titled 300 miles of hospitality and it’s an illustrated map depicting their locations. It’s filled with awesome illustrations in 4 colors, my favorite is the cow. Nothing beats the quality of offset solid spot colors, this thing is vibrant. The inside is not that exciting. I’ve had this for a while and this was probably the post that should have followed my last about five years ago. There’s a 4-64 number on the corner and considering the restaurant was open from 1939 – 1967, I’d say it’s circa 1964. Here’s a link from the Los Angeles Conservancy with a bit on the restaurant’s history if you’d like to read about it.

La Fonda Del Sol Menu

I thought I would start with something classic and what a better way to do it than with the great master and acclaimed designer Alexander Girard. This is a Dinner Menu Design for La Fonda del Sol Restaurant in New York circa 1960. It is an offset lithograph with wonderful vibrant colors. I can almost say the work done for this restaurant (specially the suns) are one of his most celebrated and recognized designs. This menu has also been featured in many museums such as the SFMOMA. So here are some closeups of the type and full shots of the menu. Enjoy!