Benson’s Mural in Pontiac Route 66 Black and White Photography
Sweeping Painted Lettering Beside a Tall Brick-Wall Window
“Pleasing You Pleases Us” is the line beneath the large Benson’s name on this painted wall in Pontiac, Illinois. The mural caught my eye during a Route 66 road trip, with its curling ribbon shapes and bold lettering spread across dark brick. I photographed it in black and white to bring the painted forms and masonry texture together.
There is more to the mural than the company name. A smiling portrait sits within the left side of the design, and painted figures below appear to be working on the sign itself. That image within an image gives the wall a playful character. I kept those smaller elements in the frame because they reward a closer look after the lettering has made its first impression.
The tall window on the left is an important counterweight. Its simple grid and dark panes contrast with the larger curves of the painted advertisement. Brick courses continue behind and around both, providing a repeated pattern that holds the composition together. The monochrome treatment makes the differences between glass, paint, and wall easier to notice.
I remember slowing down to examine this façade rather than treating it as another sign along the route. The photograph preserves that combination of graphic confidence and small-town building detail. It has a strong connection to roadside Americana, but the picture also works through its shapes: an ornamental sweep of lettering, a rectangular window, and the steady surface of the brick beneath them.
© Dan Kosmayer, 2022
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About My Fine Art Photography
Every photograph in my collection comes from my own travels, explorations, and years behind the camera.
I create my work as photographic art rather than mass-produced decoration. From street portraits and abandoned places to landscapes, architecture, and the unusual subjects I discover along the way, each image begins with something that made me stop and look.
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