New York Transit MuseumIt's #WomensHistoryMonth! Throughout March we’ll be highlighting the legacy of women in transit and focusing on some of the individuals who were first in their fields. 🎨 We begin with Amelia "Oppy" Opdyke Jones, the creative force behind the "Subway Sun" from the mid-1940s until the 1960s.
The Subway Sun was a public service ad campaign that ran on the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit). Oppy's illustrations had a lasting impact on riders. According to a @[email protected] article from 1948, “Some riders who formerly would block doors, hog seats or read papers in crowded cars no longer dare.”
Opdyke Jones began signing her name as “Oppy” as a means of disguising her gender in the predominantly male field. Her posters included playful characters cajoling and scolding commuters into courteous behavior. She is often credited with coining the term “litterbug."
Visit the #NYTransitMuseum and you'll see many of Oppy's Subway Sun posters on our vintage fleet! We are open Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm. Plan your visit at nytransitmuseum.org.