As with many of Ruscha’s motifs, around 1967 he took artistic ownership of the Hollywood sign, using it in a wide variety of media and compositions. Here he has dashed off two studies of the iconic sign, presumably while drinking a cup of coffee at Schrafft’s Restaurant (stains from a cup are visible at center). As with many of his word images, his conception of the sign echoes that of his famous 1962 photograph of a Standard Oil station, seen in three-quarter view with one-point perspective diminishing to the left.