Between 1916 and 1918

S.S. Great Northern-S.S. Northern Pacific

American, 1893 - 1984

Some crude forms of screenprinting were used for commercial purposes beginning in the nineteenth century in both Europe and the United States. It was primarily developed and refined as a commercial medium in this country, however, in the first three decades of the twentieth century. Several of the leading firms were based in California, including Vitachrome, the Velvetone Poster Company, and the Selectasine Company. This advertisement for the Northern Steamship Line was one of the first screenprints produced with the Selectasine process, a complex multicolor printing method using a single screen, rather than separate screens for each color.