Billboard Painters Frame Color:Black switching on the lights of

switching on the lights of the Empire State Building

countless members of Congress and heads of state

The iconic structure opened iin 1883 after 13 years of construction

one of three men from a local Life-Saving Station to help out with the test

two years after the Empire State Building opened and adopted the title of World's Tallest Structure

Billboard Painters Frame Color:Black switching on the lights ofBefore billboards were produced on vinyl panels and unrolled at their intended sites, they were an art form created on the spot by sign painters. Posters like this one for the movie "Silver Streak" were created as small works of art, then taken to the site, where they were divided into small squares matching a larger grid. Painters reproduced the work a square at a time.