THE RED BUS
Oxford's red double-decker bus was imported from England in 1994 and became the namesake and original inspiration for the city's Double Decker Arts Festival.
- Place
- THE RED BUS
- Location
- Oxford, MS
- Content mode
- FULL_STORY
- Medium
- Archival pigment print, museum-grade matte
- Sizes
- 8×10 · 12×18 · 16×20 · 16×24 · 24×36 in
The record
Oxford imported a red double-decker bus from England in 1994. The vehicle supplied both the name and the original idea for the Double Decker Arts Festival, which is now held around the historic Square.
This print gives the bus almost the entire foreground. Its two-level red body enters from the left at a low angle, reduced to a few dark window bands, a cream belt and two large wheels. The courthouse tower remains smaller and farther back at the right, enough to place the bus without turning the scene into a detailed streetscape.
The unusual pairing is kept intact: an English bus, a Mississippi courthouse square and a city event that joined the two.
What this print shows
The bus is cropped at the front, roof and left edge so its red mass reads before any detail. The upper and lower window rows are compressed into dark horizontal shapes, while the cream stripe preserves the vehicle's double-deck proportion. The courthouse tower, olive foliage and pale pavement are held as small supporting forms against a clear blue sky.
Common questions
Why is there a red double-decker bus in Oxford, Mississippi?
Oxford imported the bus from England in 1994; it later gave the city's Double Decker Arts Festival its name and original inspiration.
How is the bus shown in this print?
The two-level red body is cropped close from a low angle, with the courthouse tower kept small in the background for location.
Sources
- About the Double Decker Festival, Visit Oxford. Kilde · set 2026-08-25
- Double Decker Arts Festival Celebrates 27th Year in Oxford, Mississippi Monitor. Kilde · set 2026-08-25
Not documented — and therefore not claimed
- The depicted vehicle is one uniquely identified bus in Oxford's fleet. — The artwork removes route numbers, registration details and other identifiers, so one vehicle cannot be established.
- The bus is a joke that became a landmark or the most characteristically Oxford object. — These are rhetorical judgments from the old copy, not verifiable place facts.
- The artwork depicts the festival itself. — No crowd, vendor, stage or event marker appears in the image.
Verified 2026-08-25 · artwork inspected against the approved master
Independent artwork by Old Haunts Studio. The name of the place is used solely to identify the subject depicted. This is an original illustration, not a photograph.