Peace, Love and Muni

For this week's feature, jumping back to 1970 for a look into the world of Muni in the psychedelic era. In 1970, the de Young Museum held "The World of Peter Max," an exhibition of artwork by Pop Art icon Peter Max. Max's graphic design and illustration work is characterized by vivid, flowing colors and highly stylized shapes. As part of the exhibition, Muni loaned a Mack motor coach to be painted by a group of teenagers and children outside the museum.

Artists Painting on Mack Motor Coach for Peter Max Art Exhibit at the de Young Museum | March 11, 1970 | M0805_11

While we don't have any more detailed records in the Photo Archive about Muni's involvement, we do have this image and a handful of other great photos depicting the bus painting. Keeping with Max's style, the bus came out with what appears to be a giant sun motif on the sides, a face with eyes, nose, and lips on the front, and toothy grins in each of the upper windows and on side board cards.

It's a real shame that Photographer Ken Snodgrass didn't choose to bring a roll of color film with him on that overcast March day, because this bus must have been pretty spectacular with bright, bold colors against the blanket of white sky. Not to mention the clothes of the participants: wild flower pants on the little girl in the foreground and what are likely psychedelic colored dresses on the girls posing with the sign.

One mystery lost to the ages is exactly what happened to the bus after being painted in crazy colors for the show. Perhaps it was given a good scrub down and returned along with most of its siblings to the Mack Company that leased them to Muni?

Be sure to check out more quirky historic photos on the SFMTA Photo Archive website and follow us on Flickr, Twitter, Google+, and Instagram!