Elevated

Frederic James' Elevated shows a street car stop in downtown Kansas City at Eighth and Main. With minimal human presence and large passages of darkness, the scene assumes a foreboding appearance. Nevertheless, it earned many admirers in 1940 when it received the purchase prize in the Midwestern Artists' Exhibition, an annual show sponsored by the Kansas City Art Institute.

A Kansas City native, James returned to his hometown in 1939, after graduating from the Cranbrook Academy of Art with a degree in architecture. Exhibiting his work locally and regionally, he quickly earned renown, particularly for his watercolors like Elevated. As a result, James was hired to teach watercolor at KCAI in 1940 and to assist Thomas Hart Benton in the classroom. ("Bingham to Benton" exhibition)

Since their return in 2016, streetcars have been a common sight running between the River Market neighborhood and Union Station. In this 1940 watercolor, Kansas City native Frederic James presents a glimpse of the city's first streetcar system, one of the most extensive in the country. Elevated depicts a streetcar stop above Eighth and Main Streets. With its dark passages and only a shadowy human presence, Elevated conveys a certain eeriness. It was awarded the purchase prize at the annual Midwestern Artists' Exhibition sponsored by the Kansas City Art Institute in 1940.