Product Details

Description Offered here is an original acetate production transparency for the industrial illustration "The Coal Giant" by acclaimed artist Paul Alexander, created for a corporate advertising campaign associated with Bethlehem Steel. What This Piece Is (Important) This is NOT a print. This is an original pre-press acetate transparency, produced from a photographic negative of the original painting and used in the commercial printing process to create large-format advertisements and promotional posters. Acetate transparencies like this were the final production materials supplied to printers before plates were made. Most were discarded after use, making surviving examples scarce. ⸻ Artwork Details • Title: The Coal Giant • Artist: Paul Alexander • Client / Theme: Bethlehem Steel (industrial advertising) • Era: Early 1970s • Medium: Acetate production transparency (negative from original painting) • Process: Photo-derived transparency used for print reproduction • Subject: Monumental coal/steel figure, American workers, cranes, cables, and heavy industry • Associated slogan: "America's most abundant energy resource" ⸻ Historical Context During the late 1960s–1970s, major American industrial firms commissioned dramatic, symbolic artwork to communicate strength, labor, and national infrastructure.