Poster, "The First 'Wireless,'" "Compliments of Miller Bros. & Arlington 101 Ranch Real Wild West," 1914

This poster shows a romanticized view of Native American culture: two people separated by nature and distance, using smoke signals to communicate. Dense black smoke produced by burning damp leaves was confined under a wet blanket--then allowed to escape in bursts. In this way, smoke transformed into a beacon, visible for miles across the vast expanse of early America.