AMELIA Opdyke “Oppy” Jones was a cartoonist who drew a slew of subway posters that gently and humorously called attention to the shortcomings of subway riders in the manners department. The posters were given a faux newspaper masthead called The Subway Sun.
The Sun was introduced originally to warn riders about a fare increase, but the signs evolved to tout technological improvements, highlight travel destinations:“You too can reach the beach by subway!” … and most memorably, to promote straphanger etiquette. The most famous campaign, inked by Amelia Opdyke Jones, used Monopoly-like cartoon characters the women often modeled after Oppy herself , to push good manners on a captive audience. Some considered it propaganda, but at least it was entertaining, and it gave the impression that management was paying attention.
What would Oppy make of the current subway scene? Would she tell miscreants to get rid of the gun after shooting it, or not to reach for your wallets when stopped by the police, or to use box cutters, not razor blades, if you must apply scratchiti? Or not to push people onto the tracks? Oppy, where are you when we need you?
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1/23/23
8 comments
I always enjoyed the Subway Sun and miss it, even today. My favorite Subway Sun posters featured Etti-Cat, an ordinary domestic shorthair whose punny name featured a piece of behavioral advice. Here is a link to an online article about this fearless feline: https://hyperallergic.com/316843/meet-etti-cat-nycs-feline-subway-etiquette-advisor-of-the-1960s/
There must be some light hearted way of telling modern subway riders that flashing their junk or masturbating on the subway is frowned upon. Let me give it a whirl.
Gentlemen, it’s just plain silly to show us all your willy!
We can’t print words words that fit perverts who play with it!
Don’t be a Dirty Roger. Stop playing with your todger.
If Amelia Opdyke Jones were alive today, she would probably make a flight reservation to a southern or western destination due to NYC’s disintegrating quality of life. However, the experience of contemporary commercial
aviation would reveal an uncomfortable resemblance to the subway system she thought she could escape. Once again, “Sic transit gloria mundi”.
I don’t think people these days would even notice the Subway Sun if it in today’s subway cars
Btw – Princeton University has a digital collection of Subway Sun and related items.
https://blogs.princeton.edu/mudd/tag/subway/
I guess the colonial looking guy was supposed to be Father Knickerbocker
Of course, back in the days of tuberculosis, spitting was an extreme hazard to all.
Re TB, the fine for spitting at one time was enormous relative to other subway misdemeanors.
The Subway Museum did a great webcast in conjunction with Poster House on Oppy and the Subway Sun. I don’t know if it is available or archived.