Gouache by Mowder - Original Illustration Art for Foster & Kleiser Billboard c 1929 P3331
This extremely accomplished outdoor advertising maquette opens a window into the history and practice of the All-American Billboard. Since Foster & Kleiser were the billboard pioneers, this is a perfect example of the medium deciding to be the message.
Measures 11" x 39".
Foster & Kleiser Outdoor Advertising was founded in 1901, Walter Foster and George William Kleiser were outdoor advertising's original pioneers and have been credited with propelling the industry from simple posters pasted onto any available surface to standardized structures that are uniform, attractive and often feature landscaping enhancements. Early innovations and the automobile brought immediate success for Foster & Kleiser. The prosperity lead to an aggressive expansion from the company's roots in the Pacific Northwest to outdoor plants in Los Angeles, San Francisco and eastward toward the Atlantic seaboard. In 1952 the company was sold to W.R. Grace Co. but retained it's name in the same year Karl Eller began working for Foster and Kleiser as a lease man. In 1959 the company was sold to Metropolitan Broadcasting but again continued with the F&K name. A division of Metropolitan Broadcasting called Metromedia eventually sold the Foster and Kleiser Division to Patrick Media Company. The name was changed to Patrick Media Group September 15th 1986. In 1995, Karl Eller and Partners acquired all assets of the 94 year-old Foster and Kleiser Company. The name was then changed from Patrick Media to Eller Media Co. In 1997, Eller Media Company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, one of the world's largest media companies. In 1997 Clear Channel acquired Universal Outdoor and combined the two companies giving the company over 88,000 displays and coverage in 33 major U.S. markets. In the same year Clear Channel acquired The More Group, a European based company operating in 25 countries. In July of 2001 Eller Media Company officially changed its name to Clear Channel Outdoor signaling its commitment to the parent company's strategy to create a global brand.
