victorian railways travel posters

The Train Takes You: Vintage Travel Posters from Near and Far

Introduction

The Special Collections Research Center celebrates the peripatetic joys of summer with this exhibition of vintage travel posters. The twenty-five posters representing the U.K., France, Germany, U.S.A., Australia, South Africa and Switzerland are drawn from the large collection of railroad publications, posters, and related ephemera assembled by alumnus Jeremiah J. O’Connor. The collection was donated to the library in the 1960s by his sister, Margaret M. O’Connor.

Whether targeting a domestic or an international clientele, these vivid lithographic posters from the era before air travel present the viewer with images of far-away or enchanting destinations. While most of the advertising posters we see today use the camera to capture distant vistas, their predecessors relied on the eye of the artist to embellish upon or artfully extract from the beauty of nature. Some feature dramatic images of trains but all use minimal text, relying on their imagery to communicate more directly with the public.

The north, south and east walls of our gallery feature French, German and United Kingdom posters respectively, while the longest, east wall displays a more international array of rail posters from the 1920s through the 50s. Preliminary selection and research for the exhibition was performed by art history undergraduate intern Marvin J. Aguilar (COL ’11).

A related exhibition from the O’Connor collection was presented in 2001 and is also viewable online.

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad

100 Years of the Railroad

Ketterlinus, Philadelphia, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. 1927 color lithographic poster 104 x 68.5 cm This historic poster marked the 100th anniversary of America’s first passenger and freight railway, under the management of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road Company. To celebrate this landmark occasion, the company planned an elaborate Centenary Exhibition and Pageant for a three week period beginning September 24th, 1927. The Fair of the Iron Horse, attended by 1.5 million and held west of Baltimore in Halethorpe, Maryland, intended to document all inland transport since the inception of the country. The company erected four mammoth exhibition halls and as its central feature, the “pageant of inland transport in America” featured a historic collection of “actual locomotives, ancient and modern,” as explained in the exhibition catalogue. To augment the B&O’s extensive collection, other railroads contributed examples, including the mighty new King George V sent over by the Great Western Railway of England. The two men in the foreground of this poster are operating Peter Cooper’s Tom Thumb, a small, experimental engine and the first one built and operated in the United States, from 1829-30. A reproduction of the original was exhibited at the centenary festivities.

Catalogue of the Centenary Exhibition of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, 1827-1927

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company Baltimore: The Company, 1927

Victorian Railways

The Train Takes You

Aldyth Russell The Moore Young Litho Co., Victorian Railways n.d. color lithographic poster 102.5 x 62.5 cm Aldyth Russell’s image of children playing on the sand provides the primary message, with the slogan at the bottom which inspired the title of this exhibition.

The Flier: Victoria’s Seaside Holiday Express

Percy Trompf (1902-1964) color lithographic poster n.d. J.E. Hackett, Melbourne Victorian Railways

This majestic cliffside scene touts the extensive network of Victoria’s Flier, an express service linking the seaside towns listed on the poster with points inland. Melbourne-based Percy Trompf was a successful commercial artist specializing in poster design. He later created posters to support the war effort and served as a pilot for the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War.

South African Railways

South Africa Invites You: “The Road to Sunland”

George Paul Canitz (1873-1959) Cape Times Limited, Cape Town n.d. color lithographic poster 101 x 63 cm The German-born George Paul Canitz studied painting in Dresden and moved to southwest Africa in 1909 on the advice of his doctor. He began exhibiting his work with the South African Society of Artists and became highly regarded for his classical rendering of native landscapes. Canitz opened his own art school and also taught at the University of Stellenbosch, about thirty miles east of Cape Town.

Compagnie du Chemin de Fer d'Orléans

Auvergne: Plomb du Cantal

Cornille & Serre, Paris, Compagnie du Chemin De Fer D’Orléans 1923 color lithographic poster 104.5 x 74 cm The Cantal department in south-central France, a province of the Auvergne region, takes its name from the range of ancient, eroded volcanic peaks covering much of the territory. The highest peak is the Plomb du Cantal, which rises approximately 6,000 feet.

Compagnie Martigny-Châtelard

Martigny: Chamonix

Affiches Sonor, Geneva, Electric Railway Châtelard n.d. color lithographic poster 101.5 x 63.5 cm The Swiss town of Martigny is at a junction of roads joining Italy, France and Switzerland, and on the high-speed Simplon line of the Swiss Federal Railway. From Martigny, narrow gauge railroads ascend the nearby mountains on both sides of the Rhône valley. One railroad runs west to the French ski resort of Chamonix, crossing the border at Le Châtelard. This poster tantalizes viewers with a glimpse of the snow covered Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak, framed by dramatic mountains in the foreground.

Furka-Oberalp-Bahn

From the Rhône to the Rhine

Daniele Buzzi (1890-1974) P. Attinger Ltd., Switzerland Furka-Oberalp Railway 1925 color lithographic poster 93 x 62 cm This dramatic Alpine view in bright, Fauve-inspired colors, advertises the Furka-Oberalp, a narrow-gauge mountain railway in the Swiss Alps. The Furka Pass connects the cantons of Graubünden and Uri between Disentis and Andermatt. Its dramatic scenery was the setting for a “cliff hanging” chase sequence in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger .

St.-Gotthard-Bahn

Switzerland St. Gothard Line

Daniele Buzzi (1890-1974) 1924 color lithographic poster 100 x 61.5 cm Named for a Bavarian saint, the St. Gothard line links Zurich and portions of Germany with Lugano and Italy via another dramatically high Alpine pass. The artist Daniele Buzzi created a number of travel posters, these being his earliest, promoting destinations in Switzerland and Italy. His style transformed in the 1940s and 50s to flattened planes of saturated color.

British Railways

I’ll See You at Aberystwyth

Bruce Angrave Waterlow & Sons Ltd.: London, Dunstable & Watford, Great Western Railway n.d. color lithographic poster 108 x 63 cm Aberystwyth, on the west coast of Wales, has been a popular resort town since the railroad "arrived" there in 1869.

To The Hebrides

Tom Gilfillan (fl. 1940s-50s) John Horn Ltd., Glasgow & London , David MacBrayne Ltd. n.d. color lithographic poster 101.5 x 64 cm

Scotland: Its Highlands and Islands

Tom Gilfillan (fl. 1940s-50s) John Horn Ltd., Glasgow & London, David MacBrayne Ltd. n.d. color lithographic poster 101.5 x 63 cm

See Scotland by Train: The West Highland Line Near Arisaig

William Douglas MacLeod (1892-1963) Jordison & Co., Ltd., London & Middlesbrough, British Railways (Scottish Region) n.d. color lithographic poster 102 x 64 cm

See Scotland by Rail and Steamer: On the Route of the Trossachs Tour

Jack Merriott (1901-1968) Jordison & Co., Ltd., London & Middlesbrough, British Railways n.d. color lithographic poster 118 x 63.5 cm

Yorkshire (Knaresborough)

Jack Merriott (1901-1968) Jordison & Co., Ltd., London & Middlesbrough, British Railways (North Eastern Region) 1954 color lithographic poster 101 x 63.5 cm The above five posters were printed in the 1950s, soon after the nationalized British Railways emerged from the Big Four regional railway companies.

The dreamy scenes, all from the north of Great Britain, suggest the rewards of travel off the beaten path: the two posters with artwork by Thomas Gilfillan were actually published for British Railways by a Scottish ferry company, which is still extant today.

The “Kings” Lead for Power and Speed: Go Great Western

Moy-Thomas Felix J.C. Pole, Great Western Railway c. 1935 color lithographic poster 111 x 63.5 cm The locomotive shown here is the King George V No. 6000, which traveled to the United States for display as a state-of-the-art steam engine in the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company's pageant in 1927 (See 100 Years of the Railroad above). Ironworkers in Baltimore outfitted the engine with a commemorative plaque and a bell, which can be seen in the illustration.

Deutsche Bundesbahn

Die Schöne Eisenbahnreise (The Beautiful Railway Journey)

Leo Faller (1902-1969) Karl Wenschow, Reichsbahn-Werbeamt n.d. offset lithographic poster 84 x 59 cm

Mit der Deutschen Bundesbahn durch das Gastliche Deutschland (With Deutsche Bundesbahn through Hospitable Germany)

Leo Faller (1902-1969) Karl Wenschow, Reichsbahn-Werbeamt n.d. offset lithographic poster 83.5 x 59.5 cm

Mit der Bundesbahn ins Märchenland (With the Bundesbahn in Fairyland)

Nach Deutschland zu Jeder Jahreszeit (To Germany in Any Season)

Hoinkis Badenia, Verlag und Druckerei, A.-G., Karlsruhe, Reichsbahn-Werbeamt 1956 gravure printed poster 99.5 x 62 cm

Nicht So! Gepäck gibt man auf Deutsche Bundesbahn (Not So! Check Your Luggage with Deutsche Bundesbahn)

Schmandt, Reichsbahn-Werbeamt 1954 gravure printed poster 84 x 59 cm Germany promotes its national heritage in three pictorial maps depicting local foods, churches and castles, and folk tales. While the placement of the churches and castles are accurate, the local delicacies map is vague in areas and the folk tales’ locations are almost entirely whimsical. Illustrator Lou Faller drew the maps in the 1930s for the German national railroad, but these posters were produced in the 1950s as railroad museum souvenirs.

Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français

France: Normandy

Raoul Dufy (1877-1953) De Plas, Paris, Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français 1952 offset lithographic poster 100 x 62 cm France’s rail system was nationalized in 1938 with the merger of its five main rail lines to form the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF). In the mid-1950s, SNCF commissioned the country’s leading artists to design posters targeting the international market, with a “Discover France by Train” slogan. The posters by Foujita and Dufy portray the pastoral charms of the countryside in Normandy along the northwestern coast. Those by Hambourg and Ceria depict Île de France with its majestic Chârtres Cathedral, and the fishing boats along the coast of Brittany, the westernmost tip of France.

France (map)

Cheval & Batany Publicité Yves Alexandre, Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français 1953 offset lithographic poster 100 x 62 cm

Discover France by Train: Normandy

Leonard (Tsugouharu) Foujita (1886-1968) Editions Paul-Martial, Paris, Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français 1958 color lithographic poster 100 x 62 cm

Discover France by Train: Île de France

André Hambourg (1909-1999) 1958 color lithographic poster

Discover France by Train: Brittany

Edmond Ceria (1884-1955) Draeger, Paris, Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français 1957 offset lithographic poster 100 x 62 cm

LuLen Walker · Art Collection Curator Christen Runge · Assistant Curator Karen O’Connell · Rare Books Librarian Marvin J. Aguilar (COL ’11) · Curatorial Assistance David Hagen · Graphics Production

Copyright Notice

Each of the artworks represented here is under individual copyright protection. Images on this page may not be used for any purpose without express written permission of the copyright holder.

By Lydia Turnbull on 11 May 2020

Vintage travel posters—reimagined.

As the UK continues to face travel restrictions as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, the National Railway Museum has reimagined a set of classic railway travel posters from our collection.

Designed to show support for key workers, including those working in the rail industry, the set of 10 popular travel posters features vintage artwork but with new messages which reflect the Government’s travel advice.

They cover scenic travel destinations such as the Norfolk Broads and the Yorkshire coast, the posters invite people to ‘visit when this is all over’ or to ‘visit online’ instead.

Originally intended to promote holiday destinations served by railway companies, historic railway posters were often created by well-known artists of the day to entice passengers onboard.

The railways played an important role in the development of mass tourism and in particular the traditional seaside, spa and holiday resorts that we know today. By the middle of the 19 th century, the railways could provide quick and inexpensive day trips for thousands of ordinary people based in inland towns and cities. This period saw the growth of excursion trains for working class families (for more details, read historian Susan Major’s blog post ).

The boom in the sophistication and use of railway posters continued into the 1920s and 1930s—said by many to be a ‘golden age’ of railway poster design. This included the London & North Eastern Railway’s ‘Quicker By Rail’ campaign which aimed to promote rail travel as competition from other forms of transport began to increase. By the end of the 1930s around 15 million people were going on holiday to the coast.

The National Railway Museum has a collection of 10,700 posters and other railway artwork dating from 1804 to the present day. The collection includes examples from the pre-grouping railway companies, the Big Four, British Railways and items from private operating companies.

Judith McNicol, Director of the National Railway Museum, said:

“At a time of widespread travel restrictions, we hope that recreating a selection of the most popular travel posters will enable people to enjoy some of their favourite holiday destinations while celebrating the style and glamour of these works of art. This is also a way for us to show our support for the nation’s keyworkers, including many of the 115,000 railway workers who are continuing to keep things running during this time.

“We hope that these reimagined posters might raise a smile and give people something to look forward to once the lockdown is lifted.”

Part of the Science Museum Group, the National Railway Museum closed to the public on March 17, as part of government measures to control the spread of coronavirus. Despite temporary closure, the Group’s collection is still available to explore online .

Download our free posters

Click on these links to see the full-size images.

Yorkshire Coast

London Pride

New Brighton

Northern Ireland

North-East Coast

23 comments on “ Vintage travel posters—reimagined ”

Nice to see these posters re-imagined, in the current circumstances.

These posters are brilliant! Thank you for sharing!

I was wondering whether an Isle of Wight one could be done (maybe SR, 1946 version) with the message Stay at home, download the app, stay lives

Fantastic – well done everyone –

Hi Lydia, A nice idea, even though the rules for movement have already changed. Let’s hope some of these areas are not swamped this weekend. Not surprised that you were attracted by two Septimus Scott pieces.. His iconic New Brighton poster with the bathing belle perched on the top board of the Art Deco bathing pool is one which won’t sadly be repeatable any time soon. Though I visited it many times in the 60s as a youngster, it was knocked down after serious storm damage in 1990. With you permission, I will include your revised version in a forthcoming blog at mikepriestleysrailwayheritage.blogspot.com

Best wishes, Mike.

Lydia, on the New Brighton pic, Wallasey is in one place (lower left) spelt ‘Wallaey’. Otherwise I liked the poster style, well done

I Love these posters.

Just wondered where I can get a poster link so that I can blow one up to A1 size to frame?

Look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks, Howard

Lovely pictures and clever twist to what’s going on.

Could do with one of the Yorkshire Dales/ Ribblehead Viaduct / Settle-Carlisle if there is one?

Brilliant. Excellent updated images of a familiar theme.

As a train spotter they look very good

What a great idea, thanks for sharing these.

these are great,thanks

Will these be available as postcards ???

What a great idea! Really like these.

A rather pointless exercise in my view.

Why do historic glorious posters have to carry a PC current message?

Sorry I don’t get it.

Lets just enjoy the originals.

Fab posters, very evocative of times past and present.

What a wonderful idea – and so well executed

Outstanding posters, bring back a real sense of nostalgia for those bygone days of Train travel.

Colours superb

Terrific Idea!!!!, I am using the downloads as desktop wallpaper. Sure brings back memories for an eighty year old. Looking forward to the museum reopening. got a drawing list to go through. Once again many thanks,great gift Kind Regards JBC

Fantastic idea, beautifully done. Thank you.

Thank you for access to some of your wonderful posters, they cheer the soul.

Lovely Idea.

Can the lock-down posters be bought?

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Victorian and Edwardian travel posters

Our collections include a range of fascinating promotional material from railway companies in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

Great Western Railway poster

Date: 1897–1914

Catalogue reference: View the record RAIL 1014/39 in the catalogue

This poster advertises Great Western Railway excursions from London and other stations to Wales.

The main image is probably the river Wye, where the Wye Valley Railway ran between Chepstow and Monmouth. The line was operated by Great Western Railway and the railway viaduct can be seen in the distance.

The poster also includes an image of a woman in traditional Welsh costume, sitting at a spinning wheel, and a view of the historic house Plas Newydd in Llangollen.

The original Great Western Railway company was founded in 1833. Its routes included the London to Bristol line engineered by the iconic civil engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The centre of the poster features the arms, crests and mottos of the City of London (Domine Dirige Nos - God guides us) and Bristol City Council (Virtute et Industria - virtue and work).

Brighton Railway poster

Catalogue reference: View the record COPY 1/205 in the catalogue

This 1903 poster by artist Agnes Joseph is promoting travel on the ‘Brighton Railway’ — more properly known as the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.

The line ran from London’s Victoria and London Bridge stations to the Sussex Downs, a range of chalk hills in coastal Southeast England popular with Londoners looking to escape the city.

The poster features steeply rolling hills with a small cluster of buildings in the valley and the sea in the distance. The character in the foreground is carrying a three legged milking stool and is looking over her shoulder at an agricultural worker in the fields.

Midland Railway poster

Catalogue reference: View the record COPY 1/259 in the catalogue

This 1907 poster shows the Midland Railway company advertising its routes between the far North of Scotland and the South of England. The expression ‘cock of the north’ on the ribbon in the mouth of the bird, originates from the nickname of the Duke of Gordon, in the Northeast of Scotland, and also to the regimental marching tune of the Gordon Highlanders.

Three railways merged to form the Midland Railway company in 1844. The company was based in Derby, and the poster shows its express passenger steam locomotive number 1025 which could reach speeds up to 85mph. The 1025 was designed by Richard Deeley who was the Chief Mechanical Engineer at the company.

Great Northern Railway poster

Catalogue reference: View the record COPY 1/283 in the catalogue

This poster advertises the coastal resort of Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire, and the Great Northern Railway that could take you there.

The branch line to Mablethorpe opened in 1877 and was busy with passengers travelling from the midlands to the coast. Another branch line, further south, ran to Sutton, and in 1888 the two lines were connected, forming the Mablethorpe Loop railway.

By 1908 the line had been taken over by the Great Northern Railway. The company ran excursions from London and midland towns and Mablethorpe developed as a holiday destination.

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Railway posters were extremely popular in the UK from the late 19th century through to the 1960's, advertising rail networks and holiday destinations to the general public. The travel posters often used slogans such as ‘It’s quicker by rail’ and ‘See Britain by train’ to encourage people to use the rail network to holiday around the UK (and further afield, with many posters promoting travel by boat to Ireland and Europe).

Vintage travel posters were in their heyday throughout inter-war years, which can be seen by looking through our collection. The travel posters we have range from the 1800’s, right up until the 1990’s, although the vast majority of artwork you will see is from the 1920’s, 1930’s and 1940’s.

Many of these vintage posters promote specific holiday destinations in the UK. The vintage  railway posters  often had a highly romanticised view of post war rural Britain. Many depict landscape scenes, while others show holiday makers having fun on the beach in British seaside towns.

There are also many industry posters available, some of which show work on the railways, and how the rail industry was changing. Some railway posters advertise trains, for example, the Coronation Scot and ‘King Class’ locomotive, while other travel posters promote British Industries, from the steel industry and brick making to fishing and ship building.

British Rail produced these rail advertisements to encourage travel by train, and there were a wonderful group of talented artists who would submit their artwork to be used by the rail networks.

There are many artists who you will come across again and again searching through the collection of vintage travel posters, including Ronald Lampitt, Norman Wilkinson and Frank Henry Mason. These artists were commissioned by the UK rail companies, (such as Great Northern Railway [GNR], Great Western Railway [GWR], London, Midland and Scottish Railway [LMS], North Eastern Railway [NER], London and North Eastern Railway [LNER], British Rail [BR]) to create  vintage rail posters  advertising certain areas around the UK. The art they created was of varying styles, from art deco to art nouveau and everything in between.

At  RailwayPosters.co.uk  we are constantly growing our collection of travel posters, sourced via the National Railway Museum archives. We are able to provide a truly unique service, as we print your products to order. Each image on our website is available on a wide range of items.

We offer beautiful  art prints  in six different sizes, starting at only £6.99. We also have a huge range of gift products. You can have your favourite design printed on a  mug , magnet, tote bag, postcard, greetings card,  mousemat , or  canvas .

These products make wonderful gifts, and not just for rail enthusiasts. Our customers often remark that our vintage railway posters bringing back happy memories of holidays and family visits.

Enjoy browsing through  RailwayPosters.co.uk

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Exploring the Princes Highway through vintage travel posters

• 07 August 2020

In the early 20th century, driving on the scenic, coastal route between Melbourne and Sydney was a popular pastime – meandering through the Gippsland lakes and the Sapphire Coast (including the pretty towns of Eden and Merimbula), seeing the beaches of Jervis Bay and Ulladulla, and the rainforests near Kiama, and admiring Gold Rush and Victorian buildings along the way.

On 20 August 2020, Australia Post is releasing a stamp issue commemorating the centenary of the Princes Highway, which traverses most of this coastal drive. The Princes Highway was officially opened in 1920 as a major arterial road between Sydney and Melbourne via the New South Wales South Coast and Gippsland, in Victoria. Established from existing roads, it was named in honour of Edward, then Prince of Wales, who had recently conducted a royal tour of Australia. In 1922, approval was given to extend the Princes Highway to Adelaide via Geelong, Warrnambool, Portland, Robe and Mount Gambier. It was later extended to Port Augusta.

The stamp designs in this issue feature vintage travel posters that celebrate some of the cities and towns along the length of the highway. Such posters were part of the Golden Age of poster design in Australia, which largely occurred during the 1930s, a time of rapid modernisation in Australia.

The Victorian Railways and the Australian National Travel Association, as well as local tourist boards, commissioned a variety of posters to promote tourism and outdoor recreation, to the domestic and international market, filled with optimistic slogans and idyllic landscapes, some in a painterly style, others quite graphic and bold. Qantas Airways also produced posters that promoted air travel as a convenient and luxurious alternative to sea travel and promoted Australia as a sun-filled travel destination for overseas visitors.

The outbreak of World War II eventually led to a slow in demand for travel posters. Colour photography and screen-printing gradually overtook illustrative work, postwar, but the Golden Age of poster design continues to influence graphic artists and allows us to appreciate our popular tourist destinations through a nostalgic lens.

John C Goodchild, Mount Gambier, the Lake District of South Australia , c. 1930

John Charles Goodchild (1898—1980) arrived with his family in South Australia in 1913, from London. After serving as a member of the Australian Medical Corps (9th Field Ambulance) during World War I, Goodchild attended the South Australian School of Arts and Crafts and produced Adelaide in Pen and Ink Drawings (1920). He studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, London, in 1921, before returning to Adelaide and becoming a commercial artist. He taught etching at the School of Arts and Crafts and exhibited his work in Adelaide and Sydney. As well as his etchings and drawings, Goodchild produced landscapes, street scenes and architectural views in watercolour, with works purchased by major Australian galleries as well as the Library of Congress, Washington, and the British Museum, London. In 1945, Goodchild was commissioned as an official war artist by the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.

James Northfield, Geelong, the city with a holiday charm , c. 1930

Isaac James Northfield (1887–1973) was born near Inverleigh, Victoria. Following school, Northfield studied at Gordon Technical College. He joined a local lithographic firm before moving to Melbourne to continue his apprenticeship. Northfield set up his own studio in Flinders Street, Melbourne, specialising in hand lithographic work. With a growing reputation, he was commissioned by the Victorian Railways and the Australian National Travel Association to design travel posters, becoming one of the most celebrated travel posters designs of the early 20th century and continuing his commercial art career into the late 1940s, including for government and overseas clients. His works are held by major institutions, such as the National Gallery of Australia and State Library of Victoria.

Percy Trompf, Melbourne, Victoria, seventh city of the empire , c. 1940

Like Northfield, commercial artist Percy Trompf (1902–1964) grew up in country Victoria. Also, like Northfield, Trompf is renowned for his early 20th century travel posters. After studying at Ballarat Technical Art School, Trompf made his start designing chocolate and confectionary wrappings, before opening his own studio in Little Collins Street, Melbourne, where he specialised in advertising posters. The bright and colourful travel posters he produced for Australian National Travel Association and the Victorian Government Railways during the 1930s and 40s attracted much attention in Australia and overseas and led to several awards for Trompf.

Richard Ashton, Sydney, New South Wales , c. 1940

Born in Melbourne in 1913, before moving to Sydney in 1914, artist Richard Ashton worked as a landscape and seascape artist, including as an official war artist during World War II. After the war he was art and publicity officer of the New South Wales Department of Tourism and Immigration for more than two decades (the same organisation that commissioned the poster featured on the stamp), before taking over the directorship of the Julian Ashton Art School in 1960, which had been established by his late grandfather. His work is held in the collections of the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the National Gallery, Canberra.

The Princes Highway: 1920–2020 stamp issue is available online from 20 August 2020, at participating Post Offices and via mail order on 1800 331 794, while stocks last.

This content was produced at the time of the stamp issue release date and will not be updated.

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Collection: railway travel posters, iconic travel posters have promoted australia, italy, africa, canada, new zealand, america, hawaii and other global hotspots over the decades., see the canadian rockies banff - canadian pacific, chateau lake louise canadian rockies - canadian pacific, the seaside calls go by train - take a kodak, to the west - trans australian railway, weston super mare - the smile in smiling somerset - british railways, winter tours to central australia - railways, there and back by trans australian railway, the sunshine route - daylight rail tours between brisbane and cairns, sunny worthing go by train, yorkshire dales - british railways, travel by the centenary limited to the murray bridge carnival 1936 - south australian railways, wanganui river new zealand - scenic trip by train and launch.

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Vintage Posters from the Golden Age of Travel, 1910-1959

By maria popova.

For more delicious vintage design from the Golden Age of Travel, dig into 20th Century Travel: 100 Years Of Globe-Trotting Ads .

— Published February 28, 2012 — https://www.themarginalian.org/2012/02/28/vintage-travel-posters/ —

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Railway Posters from Britain: 1923–1939

The poster should be so fashioned that he who runs may read…

Paul Rennie is a poster enthusiast and collector based in Britain. He is subject leader in contexts in Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins, London. His book about the poster designer Tom Eckersley will be published by Pavilion later in 2020.

Speed To The West , Charles Mayo, 1939

Image: Christie’s

This is a post about the posters produced by the railway companies in Britain between 1923 and the beginning of World War II. In general, these posters conform to golden-age expectations of collectors and enthusiasts everywhere, combining color, scale, glamour, and sophistication.

The railway network in Britain developed rapidly throughout the 19th century. In its first phase, the expansion of the railway was fueled by the ad-hoc schemes of a railway mania. The period after World War I saw an attempt to rationalize the railway network and its services according to new systems and structures that had devolved from the command and control of the armed forces during the war. The railways were, accordingly, organized into four regional groups comprising east coast, west coast, south-west, and southern sectors. For practical purposes, these sectors were identified by the historic names of their most important railway companies: London and North Eastern; London, Midland and Scottish; Great Western; and the Southern Railway.

The Night Scotsman , Alexandre Alexeieff, 1931

The origins of the modern poster coincide almost exactly with the great acceleration of mid-19th century society provided by the machine-ensemble of the railway system. The poster was the first image made to be seen from a distance and whist moving by virtue of its color effects and large-scale, made possible by color lithographic printing. It was therefore entirely appropriate that the railways should embrace the poster to promote their activities and services.

As the machine-ensemble of modern society accelerated through its stages of steam railway, bicycle power, internal combustion, and aviation, the poster also gained speed, building upon its founding characteristic of scale with the addition of simplification and sparkle effects, derived from Japanese colored woodcuts. All of this was combined, to spectacular effect, on station platforms and advertising display hoardings around the country, so as to provide an entirely new kind of popular and artistic display.

The idea of speed, implicit in the cultural form of the poster, is made visually explicit through combining elements of scale, simplicity, and sparkle. These traits are especially and appropriately evident in the railway poster.

L.M.S. Bestway , A.M. Cassandre, 1928

Image: MoMA

The impressive scale of the classic railway poster derives from the quad royal size of the images—one sheet of paper measuring 50 inches wide by 40 inches high, and in landscape orientation. For practical purposes, these were amongst the largest single-sheet posters, and relatively few printing companies had the plant and associated expertise to realize images at this scale and at the quality required.

By a happy coincidence, the major railway companies had, during the 19th century, been at the forefront of the developing print economy associated with industrial production and logistics. In the first instance, their printing was of the traditional letterpress form. However, from the 1840s onwards, the railway companies were amongst the first to incorporate lithographic printing into the production of integrated railway timetables and display material. Over time, the relationships between regional railway companies, their printers, and the local economy developed into an integrated network of economic exchanges.

In practical terms, the large-scaled lithographic presses used to produce the railway posters were, even in the 1930s, old machines which perished in the use of litho stones and maintained the craft traditions of hand-drawn color separations and carefully judged color effects.

Left: East Coast by L.N.E.R. , Tom Purvis, 1925

Right:  Yorkshire Moors , Tom Purvis, c. 1930

Image: Twitter

The optical simplifications of flat color required the careful consideration of how two-dimensional shapes were understood through the cognitive mechanisms of perception as three-dimensional space. In practice, this depended on the careful consideration of the use of black as a key to both printing and perception.

Anyone who has seen a series of progressive proofs of posters will recognize the magic of how the design becomes unified through the addition of the final black. Somehow, the black printing tricks the eye into understanding the different areas of flat color as distributed in space. This powerful visual trick also had the effect of implying a heightened level of illumination. In its most extreme form, the poster appears as bright as if the scene was illuminated from within. This lighting is perfect for rendering views associated with seaside and open air—the traditional subjects of the railway poster.

The Yorkshire Coast , Andrew Johnson, c. 1932

Image: Pinterest

In Fred Taylor’s architectural posters for the LNER, the visual referencing of building detail produces an attractive visual sparkle to grab the eye.

Even in the landscape painting posters of Norman Wilkinson made for the LMS, the rendering of light and shade across the landscape is derived from the optical discombobulations of dazzle camouflage from WWI.

The addition of lettering—in various styles—to the poster design is also an opportunity to add an attractive optical sparkle to the image. Even in the simplified mechanical forms of Gill sans, used by the LNER, the lettering provides an additional and complimentary group of two-dimensional shapes within the design. Obviously, many poster designs include the elaboration of more obviously decorative lettering, perhaps derived from shop-fronts and letterpress playbills, to increase the eye-catching allure of the design.

Left: Bridlington, Fred Taylor, 1928

Right:  Scarborough , Fred Taylor, c. 1927

Image: Art & Artists

The LNER’s mechanical engineer, Sir Nigel Gresley, produced the fastest steam locomotives in the world (world speed record for steam loco, A4 streamlined, Mallard, established in 1938), so it was entirely appropriate that the London and North Eastern should have the latest posters.

The posters are part of an accelerated image culture associated with the increasing speed of the machine-ensemble, expressed in two distinct, but related, forms of swiftness—the first in the speed (and economy) of their production, the second in the accelerated form of their image deriving from the combination of scale, simplification, and sparkle.

Left:  Electrical Plant on the L.N.E.R. , Frank Newbould, 1932

Right:  Cornwall , Frank Newbould, c. 1931

Image: Artnet

Sophistication

Of course, speed is nothing without sophistication—and the sophistication of high-speed living and railway transportation was described through a combination of locomotive engineering, comfort and luxury, and the feelings of desire attaching to the exotic travel destinations of seaside resorts and their associated attractions.

The railway poster was also international in its scope, through the subject-matter of promoting international services and destinations, and also in the use of the greatest international designers—A.M. Cassandre, Ludwig Hohlwein, Alexandre Alexeieff, and Leo Marfurt, amongst others.

The English author Andrew Martin has described the particular and specific glamour attached to the named express railway services provided during the 1930s by the Brighton Belle and the Golden Arrow (SR), the Riviera Express (GWR), and the Flying Scotsman (LNER). Elsewhere, Martin notes the excitement and luxury associated with travel on the night (sleeper) train services. In cinema history, Alfred Hitchcock was also especially sensitive to the glamour, sophistication, and excitement offered by high speed railway travel, as seen in The 39 Steps (1935), The Lady Vanishes (1938), Strangers on a Train (1951), North by Northwest (1959), and Marnie (1964). Each attest to Hitchcock’s obvious appreciation of the potential provided by railway trains.

The Flying Scotsman , Leo Martfurt, 1929

Image: Retours

Spectacular

In addition to the evident mechanical spectacular provided by the train sheds, station restaurants, and engineering on display, the railway posters also provided a complementary artistic spectacular of association (with places, feelings, and meanings) along every station platform in Britain.

The arrangement by which posters were displayed was quite specific to the railways and not straightforwardly commercial. In simple terms, the main railway routes served a number of coastal and other routes. So, the destinations of travel were considered the primary beneficiaries of increasing travel. Accordingly, the town clerk’s offices of the resorts and other destinations underwrote the production of the original designs for posters.

The associated costs of make-ready and printing the posters were borne by the printing companies, who were able to spread the costs of this expensive form of printing across the greater part of their work with the railway companies. Finally, the railway companies themselves were able to display the posters on their own property.

The development of this specific and particular economy of poster production made possible the production of a high quality advertising product in edition sizes that were relatively small by commercial standards.

In general, the railway posters were produced to be displayed. They were either pasted onto platform hoardings and are lost, or they were trimmed, framed, and displayed in the waiting rooms and lounges of the stations. Some posters were also sent to schools and to travel agents for display. The physical scale of railway posters, however, puts their display beyond the scope of anything not institutionally exercised.

Newquay , Bruce Angrave, c. 1930

Image: Vintage Surfboard Collector

The survival of railway posters from Britain during the golden age before WWII remains something of a mystery. The archives of the National Railway Museum, their publications, and the recent Poster to Poster series of publications each attest to the large number of posters designed and printed to support the railways. In contrast to the number of posters that survive from the 19th century—from Germany and France especially—these golden age posters survive in relatively small numbers.

For the most part, they seem to have survived by having been saved, in one form or another, within in the railway system itself. Usually, the discovery of posters involves the opening of some lost office or store. Occasionally, a box or suitcase at someone’s home has revealed itself to be full of graphic treasure.

Each of the characteristics identified above is individually impressive and necessary to successful poster design; but, they are only really effective in combination together.

The Trossachs , Austin Cooper, c. 1928

Selling the seaside – British holiday posters

For over a century, we've flocked to the coast in search of sun, sand and sea – the essential ingredients for a summer holiday. Explore the pleasures and pastimes of the British seaside through these classic posters, charting the history of holidays at home.

The idea of taking a seaside holiday goes back to the 18th century, when the health benefits of sea air and bathing in seawater were first recognised. The excursion to the coast quickly became popular with all social classes, thanks to the expansion of the railways which linked coastal towns to the wider network. The railway companies were keen to attract customers by promoting leisure travel, so seaside posters where often produced by the companies whose trains served the holiday resorts. The early posters were often reproductions of paintings, but poster design soon evolved under the influence of professional art directors, and designers such as Tom Purvis, Frank Newbould and Edward McKnight Kauffer, who introduced Modernist styles such as Art Deco and Surrealism to their representations of the British seaside.

By the early 20th century, the railway companies were promoting seaside resorts for both day trips and longer holidays. Some advertising campaigns – for example, John Hassall's jolly fisherman paired with the slogan 'Skegness is SO bracing' – were so memorable and effective that they were adopted for all kinds of promotional merchandise. The poster design, first issued by the London and North Eastern Railways in 1908, was reissued in 1925, and the company continued to use it for years. It epitomises John Hassall's style, which combined broad humour with strong colours and very limited text. In his view a good poster design had to be strong enough to attract attention and get the message across, with "the less writing the better".

While Skegness made a virtue of its 'bracing' sea air, other resorts on the east coast of England were promoted with the slogan 'the drier side', to differentiate themselves from the rainier west coast. Climate was a key selling point for seaside holidays, and many advertising campaigns chose to focus on this aspect of a town or the larger region. From the early years of the 20th century, posters promoting the south coast of England promised sunshine and sea breezes, and claimed that 'the South Coast is the Sunny Coast'.

Other campaigns focused on the landscape itself, its history and associations. In an early advertising poster the Cornish Riviera (so-called because of its balmy, almost Mediterranean, climate) was promoted by the Great Western Railway (GWR) as 'the land of legend and romance' in an attempt to draw visitors to coastal attractions such as castles. Cornwall had developed as a popular tourist destination thanks to the coming of the railways, and by the 1920s the sandy beaches and mild climate had established it as a favourite with British holiday makers. Various poster campaigns promoted the county as wild, romantic and remote.

In the early 1930s, GWR commissioned six posters promoting Devon and Cornwall from the influential American-born artist and designer Edward McKnight Kauffer. Some of these were uncompromisingly Modernist, adopting a bold Art Deco style for dramatic scenes pictured from unconventional vantage points. Even Kauffer's more straightforward naturalistic designs appeared consciously 'arty' when compared with the more conventional pictorial posters by other designers of the time, and they did not meet with universal approval from critics and the industry – though today Kauffer's style is celebrated for its exceptional skill and originality.

Beaches, and their amenities and entertainments, were popular subjects for posters, especially those aimed at families. Donkey rides were a firm favourite, as in this poster promoting Great Yarmouth as a place for 'Happy Healthy Holidays', picturing donkey rides for children on an expanse of clean golden sand.

Children often featured in holiday posters, enjoying the simple pleasures of paddling, splashing around in rock pools, peering at sea anemones, scooping up crabs or gathering seaweed. Dorothea Sharp was an artist who specialised in painting scenes of children at play, several of which were reproduced as posters in the 1930s. Douglas Mays' poster for Rhyl promotes the north Wales resort as the 'Children's Paradise', with an eager audience of curious children watching a Punch and Judy performance (a traditional pantomime-style slap-stick puppet show), a familiar feature of British beaches at the time.

Frank Newbould's series of posters, 'East Coast Frolics', pictured various cartoon-like creatures – including a dolphin, a frog, and a rabbit – enjoying seaside fun and games, from water sports and fishing to golf. Newbould was one of a number of artists employed by The London and North Eastern Railway company (LNER) on an exclusive design contract. His bold colourful style, paired with a jaunty type face, emphasised the idea of playfulness.

Above all, the seaside was promoted as the place to sunbathe and swim. Since the 1920s sunbathing had been encouraged, and a suntan became a fashionable sign of wealth and leisure. The swim-suited women enjoying the sunshine in Andrew Johnson's poster for the Southern Railway have the stylish elegance of a fashion plate. Like many holiday posters of the period this does not advertise a named resort, but simply pictures the generic pleasures of a holiday at the seaside.

In this most famous design by Tom Purvis for LNER, the sun-drenched colours and the stylish sunbathers, shaded by a parasol, bring a flavour of the French Riviera to the English east coast. Purvis designed several seaside posters using bold, simplified blocks of clear colour. His designs had an Art Deco sophistication that made an immediate visual impact, and the elegance of a Japanese print.

Outdoor swimming pools, known as 'lidos' (from the Italian for beach), featured heavily in the posters of the 1920s and 30s, reflecting contemporary opinion that there was no healthier form of exercise than swimming while open to the sun and air. At the time many seaside visitors preferred to swim in the safe, calm confines of a lido rather than in the sea itself, and several resorts built their own outdoor pools. Frank Newbould's poster for LNER shows off the bathing pool at Dunbar, known as "the largest swimming pond in Scotland", alongside other amenities including golf and tennis, modern hotels and boarding houses.

By the 1950s the British seaside holiday was in decline as package holidays to Spain and the Mediterranean became more popular and affordable. However, British Railways, the newly nationalised body which took over from the private railway companies, continued to use poster advertising to promote seaside holidays. John Barker's poster for Ramsgate sets out all the charms of a holiday in the Kentish resort in a series of vignettes – the elegant Regency terraces (many then serving as boarding houses), the harbour with its lighthouse, the beach, the promenade with night-time illuminations, a Punch and Judy show, a child's bucket and spade, and a stall selling shellfish. The nostalgic nature of this catalogue of seaside pleasures is emphasised by Barker's use of 19th-century circus-style lettering to spell out the name 'Ramsgate'.

Find out more with our book, Vintage Travel Posters .

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East Coast by LNER, Tom Purvis, 1925, UK. Museum no. E.744-1925. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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Included in our collection at Letitia Morris Gallery, are some of the most highly desirable vintage travel posters in Australia, by the famous art deco graphic artists, Percy Trompf and James Northfield. Both were commissioned by the Australian National Travel Association and Victorian Railways to design promotional posters of locations within Australia, which were accessible via train. These designs resulted in beautiful and colourful scenes capturing Australian landscapes in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

Some of the locations included in our Australian travel poster collection are Canberra, Merysville, Healsville and Lorne, produced during the 1930’s. These are rare posters, some of which are also part of the State Library of Victoria’s official collection, as well as the National Library of Australia. The designs depict idealised constructions of the landscape to promote these destinations to the public.

Join the Queue for Queensland

New South Wales Australia

Visit Western Australia Floral Emblem

Australia’s 150th Anniversary Celebrations 1938

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• Victorian Period - The Victorian period of furniture and decorative arts design covers the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. There was not one dominant style of furniture in the Victorian period. Designers used and modified many historical styles such as Gothic, Tudor, Elizabethan, English Rococo, Neoclassical and others, although use of some styles, such as English Rococo and Gothic tended to dominate the furniture manufacture of the period. The Victorian period was preceded by the Regency and William IV periods, and followed by the Edwardian period, named for Edward VII (1841 ? 1910) who was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India for the brief period from 1901 until his death in 1910.

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Airlines Travel Posters

Pan american airways - aviation posters.

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Edward McKnight Kauffer c.1950's

Turkey - For the Best - Pan American World Airways

Fiji Tahiti - Dancing Native and Statue - Pan American World Airways

Vintage Aviation Poster by A. Amspoker c. 1960

Round the World - Kites - via Pan American World Airways

Dong Kingman

Fly by Clipper to Near East, India and Pakistan, Orient - Pan American

The Americas Served by, Pan American Air

Kenneth W. Thompson c.1948

Pan American Marseilles - Gateway to the Riviera

Jean Carlu c.1949

Hawaii By Clipper, Pan American Airways, Hula Girl

John Atherton, c.1950

Pan American Airways Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Christ on the Cross

La Motta, c.1955

Europe Pan Am, Beefeater Guards

Mexico - Tomorrow - via Pan American Airways (PAA) - Flag of Mexico

Paul George Lawler

Kairo (Cairo) Egypt - via Beirut with Clipper Planes - Cheops Pyramid - Pan American World Airways - and Middle East Airlines

Pan American World Airways - Calcutta by Clipper, India

America by Clipper - Pan American World Airways - Fly with the Leader - United States National Bald Eagle

Discover Jamaica by Clipper - British West Indies - Pan American World Airways - Pirates Burying Treasure Chest

Pictorial Map of North & South America - Flying Clipper Ships Routes - Pan American World Airways

Kenneth Thompson

Fly to Hawaii - Hula Dancers at the Airport

Pan Am, Hawaii by Clipper - Hula Girl

Al Moore c.1962

Pan American Airlines To Paris, France - Woman with Flower Basket

Jean Carlu c.1950's

London by Clipper - Beefeater Yeomen of the Guard

Aloha Hawaii, Fly Pan American Airways

Edward McKnight Kauffer, 1953

South America - Native with Llama - Pan American World Airways

Vintage Airline Travel Poster by A. Amspoker c. 1950's

Fly to Europe - European Icons - The System Of The Flying Clippers - Pan American World Airways

Jet ‘Round South America - Pan American World Airways - Gaucho (Cowboy) - c. 1960's

Vintage Airline Travel Poster

South America by Clipper - Pan American World Airways - Argentinian Gaucho (Horseman) swinging Boleadoras

Brazil - by Clipper - Pan American World Airways - Coat of Arms

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - Oba-Oba (Oh Boy! Oh Boy!) Samba Dancers - Pan American World Airways

L'Afrique par Clipper (Africa by Clipper) - Pan American World Airways - African Cheetah

Voyagez vers les U.S.A. par PAA (Travel to the USA by PAA) - New York par Clipper - Pan American World Airways

Fly PAA to the USA - New York by Clipper - Pan American Airways - Atlas Statue at Rockefeller Center

Visit Cuba - Pan American Airways (PAA) - Havana Bay - Morro Cabana

Over Paris, France - Pan American World Airways - Eiffel Tower - Boeing 377 Stratocruiser

Over Oahu, Hawaii - Pan American World Airways - Douglas DC-4 Clipper - Diamond Head Crater, Waikiki Beach

Paris - Europe - via Pan American World Airways - Eet mus' be a very marvelous Airline!

Fly Pan American to Hawaii - Pan American Airways - Surfer at the beach

Fly Round South America - Pan American World Airways - Grace Airways - Native Drummer

South America - Pan American World Airways - Rio De Janerio, Brazil - Christ the Redeemer Statue

Europe - Fly by Clipper - Pan American World Airways

Pan Am Scandinavia Viking Ship

Jean Carlu c. 1950's

Fly with the Leader - to 6 Continents and around the World - Pan American World Airways

Brazil - Carnival in Rio - Pan American World Airways

William Linzee Prescott

Pan American India and the Orient - Taj Mahal

Get a Jet Start Round South America - via Pan American World Airways - c. 1957

Ireland by Clipper - Pan American World Airways - George Bernard Shaw

England - Pan American World Airways - Red Head Girl c.1960's

Hawaii - Pan American World Airways - Hawaiian Surfer Boys Waiting for Waves c. 1971

Hawaii - Pan American World Airways - Hawaiian Surfer c. 1975

The Progress of Transportation - Pan American World Airlines Air Routes - c. 1946

Hawaii - Pan American - c. 1968

New Zealand - Via Pan American Airways - Mount Cook, Southern Alps - c. 1940

Fly to Chile - Via Pan American World Airways - c. 1936

Havana, Cuba - Pan American World Airways - Cuban Rumba Dancer - c. 1950's

New Zealand - Pan American World Airways - Native Maori Warrior and Tiki - c. 1955

Washington D.C. - Pan American World Airways - United States Capitol Building - c. 1955

Hawaii - by Flying Clipper - Pan American World Airways - Hawaiian Rainforest Girl - c. 1970's

First Commercial Round-the-World Flight - Pan American World Airways - Lockheed Constellation - c. 1947

John T. McCoy

The Flying Clipper Ships - Pan American Airways - Over Sea, Over Land - c. 1935

Kenneth W. Thompson

Rangoon (Yangon) Burma - Pan American World Airways - Lion Chinthe Statue at Shwedagon Pagoda - c. 1955

Routes of the Famous Flying Clipper Ships - Caribbean Area Map - Pan American Airways System - c. 1930

Bermuda in 5 Hours - Pan American Airways - Imperial Airways - c. 1937

Asia - Wings Over the World - Pan American Airways System - Chinese Pagoda - c. 1930's

South America - Wings Over the World - Pan American Airways System - Douglas DC-3 - c. 1930's

American Stars & Stripes - Pan American Airways (PAA) - Boeing 377 Stratocruiser - c. 1947

Serving the Americas Since 1928 - Pan American World Airways - c. 1949

Sascha Maurer

To Mexico by Air! - Pan American Airways System - Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltépetl) Mountain - c. 1937

Argentina - Cow Head - c. 1955

Larry Segall

Fly Abroad Now.. Pay Later - Pan American Airways - c. 1956

Fly PAA - Pan American Airways - The System of the Flying Clippers - c. 1950

Round the World, Round the Clock - via Pan American World Airways - c. 1955

For Quick Results, Ship By Clipper Cargo - Pan American World Airways - Egyptian Sphinx and Pyramids - c. 1949

New York - 6.5 Hours to London - 7 to Paris - Jet Clipper Pan American World Airways - c. 1958

Fly to the Philippines and the Orient by Clipper - Pan American World Airways - c. 1947

Mexico - via Mexicana de Aviación - Pan American World Airways - Bull Fighter - c. 1950

The Rainbow to Europe - Pan American World Airways - c. 1953

Dixie Clipper - First Transatlantic Passenger Flight - Pan American Airways - Boeing B-314 - c. 1939

Philippine Clipper Arrives Hong Kong Oct. 1936 - Pan American Airways - Martin M-130

The Routes of the Flying Clipper Ships - Pan American Airways PAA - c. 1935

Brazil - Pan American World Airways - Beach and Sun - c. 1975

To Europe - In Less than 7 Hours - Pan American World Airways - c. 1959

Paris, France - Pan American World Airways - A Glass of Wine - c. 1958

Tahiti - Pan American World Airways - Tahitian Beauty - c. 1964

Bali - Pan American World Airways - Balinese Rice Terraces - c. 1971

Ivan Chermayeff

Japan - Pan American World Airways - Meditating Monks - c. 1971

Saigon, Vietnam - Pan American World Airways - Ho Chi Minh City - c. 1955

Come to Haiti - Bicentennial Exposition - Pan American World Airways - c. 1949

Walter Bomar

Thailand - Thai Dancer - Pan American World Airways - c. 1970's

USA - Smiling Cowgirl - Pan American World Airways - c. 1970's

Wings to America - Via Pan American Airways - Statue of Liberty, New York - c. 1940

Bermuda by Clipper - Pan American World Airways - Mermaid with Lily Flowers - c. 1947

Boris Artzybasheff

Fly to Alaska - by Clipper - Pan American World Airways - Native Totem Pole - c. 1947

New York - Pan American World Airways - Brooklyn Bridge, Twin Towers - c. 1975

World Route Map - Pan American World Airways - The System of the Flying Clippers - c. 1947

Richard Edes Harrison

Portugal and Spain by Clipper - Matador - Bullfighter - Pan American World Airways - c. 1958

Wings to Guatemala - Pan American World Airways (PAA) - c. 1938

Peru - Pan American World Airlines - c. 1950's

South Africa by Clipper - Pan American World Airways - c. 1951

Pan American World Airways - Sikorsky S-38 - First Airmail Flight - Charles Lindbergh - c. 1929

Dublin Horse Show - Pan American World Airways - c. 1954

Olive Whitmore

The Andes of Ecuador - South America - Pan American Airways (PAA) - c. 1939

Peru of the Incas - Pan American Airways (PAA) - Machu Picchu - c. 1938

Middle East (Medio Oriente) - Camel Rider - Pan American World Airways - c. 1950's

Caribbean (Caraibas) - Pan American World Airways - c. 1950's

South America (Amerique Du Sud) - Pan American World Airways - c. 1960's

Belgian Congo Inaugural Service - Douglas DC-4 - Pan American World Airways - c. 1946

Alaska - Totem Pole, Eskimo Child - Pan American World Airways - c. 1955

Aaron Amspoker

World Route - Pan American World Airways - c. 1945

New York City - Brooklyn Bridge - Pan American World Airways

Bangkok - The Grand Palace - Pan American World Airways

Australia - Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera - Pan American World Airways

Germany - Pfalzgrafenstein Castle - Pan American World Airways

London - Big Ben - Pan American World Airways

Hong Kong - Harbour - Pan American World Airways

Rome the Eternal City - Pan American World Airways - Spanish Steps

San Francisco - Chinatown - Pan American World Airways

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - Pan American World Airways

Hawaii - Hula Dancers - Pan American World Airways - c. 1956

Norman Rockwell

Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar - Pan American World Airways - c. 1941

Australia & New Zealand by Clipper - Pan American World Airways - c. 1950

South Pacific - Pan American World Airways - c. 1971

Fly by Clipper South Africa - Pan American World Airways - c. 1952

Jean Carlu and Jacques Dubois

Australia - Koala Bears - Pan American World Airways - c. 1964

Myanmar (Burma) - Burmese, Women of the World - Pan American World Airways - c. 1964

Hawaii - Kamehameha Statue - Hawaiian Hula - Pan American World Airways - c. 1960's

Lillian Sader

Lockheed Martin Constellation ‘Connie’ - Pan American World Airways - c. 1940's

The Philippines - Pan American World Airlines - c. 1950

USA Disney World - Pan American World Airways - c. 1970

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Tobolsk – one of the most beautiful cities in Siberia

1 Comment · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Cities , Photos , Travel

Tobolsk , a city with a population of about 100 thousand people, located 250 km northeast of Tyumen , was founded as the center of the development of Siberia in 1587.

From the end of the 16th to the 18th centuries, it was the main military, administrative, political, and religious center of Siberia. Photos by: Anton Petrus .

Since 1708, it was the center of the Siberian province stretching from the Urals to the Pacific Ocean. In the 19th century, in connection with the change in trade routes and then the construction of a railway (away from Tobolsk), its economic importance greatly decreased.

Tobolsk Kremlin – the most iconic landmark of the city – is called the pearl of Siberia. Today, Tobolsk is the most important center of tourism in Siberia.

Brick water tower near the Tobolsk Kremlin.

Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral (1686) – the first stone church built in Siberia.

Tobolsk Kremlin is the only stone Kremlin in Siberia. North entrance to the Tobolsk Kremlin.

Cathedral bell tower (1797).

The guest house of the Tobolsk Kremlin looks like a small fortress.

Tobolsk Kremlin is a unique and very picturesque architectural ensemble.

Palace of the Governor. For more than 300 years, the management of huge territories called Siberia was carried out from here.

Tobolsk in fact consists of two main parts – Nagornaya (the upper city), where the Kremlin is located, and Podgornaya (the lower city), the oldest part of Tobolsk with more than 150 objects of cultural heritage.

From the hill you can enjoy beautiful views of old Tobolsk.

Church of Zacharias and Elizabeth (1758-1776). Built in the style of the Siberian Baroque, it is one of the most beautiful buildings of the lower city.

Tags:  Tobolsk city · Tyumen oblast

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Michael J Hall · May 20, 2020 at 5:03 pm

Looked this town up after reading the description in The Lost Pianos of Siberia, by Sophy Roberts. It’s even more lovely than her written description. Great images.

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American Airlines Posters – Vintage Airline Posters

• Poster Artists
• Poster Design
• Poster History

When commercial air travel first became readily accessible to the public it was considered a highly luxurious and novel experience which could provide great fun and excitement.

In these early golden years of air travel, when it was all wonder and glamour, vivid design elements and posters were used by the leading airlines to attract customers to air travel. American Airlines mastered the art of poster design and by 1937 the airline had already carried one million passengers on their flights.

Other airlines such as  TWA , United Airlines ,  Swissair , and Air France competed with American Airlines and used poster art for advertisement.

The History and Posters of American Airlines

Post-World War II was when the air travel industry boomed. Airlines bought new aircrafts which could cover greater distances and carry larger numbers of passengers. This newly expanded potential increased competition amongst airlines and thus increased the need for strong advertising design to capture the attention and loyalty of customers.

During this post war time, airlines started to place a greater emphasis on striking posters and elaborate print advertising. This lasted until around the mid-1970’s, after which the emphasis on traditional advertising through graphic design shifted to television-based promotion.

It was also in the mid-1970’s when all major technological developments in the air travel industry had been achieved and when the deregulation of the industry was introduced. These two factors brought a change in attitude and approach to travel advertising and to the travel industry as a whole.

One airline which was extremely successful throughout the golden age of travel, and still is today, is American Airlines. This world-class airline established its reliable and innovative reputation with customers through their creative and elegant poster designs and visual identity.

American Airlines, 1941

dpvintageposters

American Airlines’ History and Legacy

It was the union of over eighty small airlines that birthed the powerhouse airline now known as American Airlines (AA). Originally, American Airways, Inc., the airline was founded on 15 April 1926 in Fort Worth, Texas.

For the first eight years the airline functioned as a mail carrier company but in 1934 American Airways changed its name to American Airlines and went on to achieve huge commercial success. As a founding member of OneWorld Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world, American Airlines was able to coordinate competitive fares and great service links with airlines all over the world.

American Airlines pioneered many ground-breaking achievements within the airline industry. In 1957 it was the first airline to open a flight attendant training facility, in 1964 the first African American commercial pilot was hired by American Airlines, and in 1981 the first airline loyalty programme was introduced by American Airlines.

Hanke , American Airlines – 707 Astrojet, ca. 1960s

American Airlines’ Design and Brand

The fiercely patriotic airline also achieved successful innovation and excellence within the creative aspects of the company. American Airlines employed the best talent in the fields of advertising and marketing to create brand images and promotional material that would capture the interest of the booming travel industry and solidify the airline’s brand and identity within it.

American Airlines recognised that travel posters were an art form that held great persuasive power. The airlines’ travel posters of faraway destinations were a top priority for the airline throughout the 1940s, 50s, and 60s and were always highly artistic. With their elegant drawings and innovative type treatments and colour choices, the posters created a highly memorable and trustworthy brand. The airlines’ logo was always seamlessly incorporated within their designs and helped establish easy recognition of the brand within the public.

The logo itself remained simple and instantly identifiable throughout its multiple redesigns (1945, 1962, 1968). The logos’ consistent “AA,” red and blue colours, and proud, cross-winged eagle became the iconic core image of the airline and established its dignified, proud, and modern reputation.

American Airlines – Logo Development

esthetik.com.au

American Airlines’ Designers and Poster Examples

Travel posters should depict “the character of places, the manners and differences of people, architectural interests and amusements.” This the insight of one of American Airlines most prolific and renown designers, Edward McKnight Chauffer.

Kauffer is famed for elevating poster design to fine art. He showcased his celebrated style of sophisticated imagery and techniques in designs for a range of clients over his lifetime. These designs garnered him much respect and praise in the design world and to this day he is still considered one of poster design’s greats.

Kauffer’s designs focused on the places and the people of travel destinations, rather than  travel itself. He created these images and designs with geometric shapes and minimalistic use of colour. This iconic and elegant style achieved great success for American Airlines and for Kauffer himself as a designer.

Edward McKnight Kauffer was born in America into a very poor family. He moved to San Francisco when he finished his schooling.  On arrival, he worked in a bookstore and took evening art classes. One of the regular store customers, Joseph McKnight, lent him enough money to study painting in Paris – and he changed his name to “Edward McKnight Kauffer” in gratitude.

Kauffer arrived in Paris in 1913 but left one year later when World War I began. En route back to the United States, he stopped in London and ended up settling there for many years where he quickly gained much success as a commercial artist.

Kauffer went on to move to New York at outbreak of the second World War and soon caught the attention of American Airlines. Between the years of 1946 and 1953, Kauffer produced over thirty posters for American Airlines.

Kauffer’s poster designs are known for their versatility in style and technique and greatly showcase his futurism, cubism, and vorticism influence. A superb example of this influence, and Kauffer’s style, is the travel poster he designed for American Airlines to promote travel to England.

Kauffer , American Airlines – England, ca 1940s

1stdibs.co.uk

The minimalist poster depicts a simplified castle against a vivid red background. The text on the poster is extremely stylized, bold, and geometric. The American Airlines eagle logo is placed in the corner and is the perfect subtle branding to keep this poster easily identifiable while still being simple and elegant.

Kauffer , American Airlines – Boston, 1948

Another major contributor to the development of the American Airlines brand is Fred Ludekens (1900-1982). Ludekens was an American artist and illustrator, although never formally trained. He was born in California and at the age of 20 he moved to San Francisco where he found work as a billboard painter.

He went on to join the advertising agency of Lord & Thomas in 1931 and eight years later he transferred to the company’s New York City office. In 1945 he returned to San Francisco and remained there until his death.

Ludekens was proficient in a variety of media and preferred to portray rural scenes such as fruit ranches, coastal scenes, and the Indians of the Southwest. He produced many story, article, and cover illustrations for well-known magazines throughout his career, but his stand-out work is the poster series he created for American Airlines during the 1950s.

The poster he created to promote the airlines domestic flights to Arizona is a prime example of his own style and the style of American Airlines’ travel posters. It is a simple, artistic, and well-balanced poster that captures the spirit of the destination perfectly.

Ludekens , Arizona – American Airlines, ca 1950s

propellerpropaganda

American Airlines’ ongoing Legacy

American Airlines’ art direction, beautiful design, and inspiring imagery of yesteryear still hold up today as some of the best. The airline has continued to be in the forefront of design and branding in the air travel industry which has ensured the company’s ongoing success.

Today, American Airlines still operate out of ten major hubs throughout the United States. They are currently the world’s largest airline when considering the size of fleet, revenue, number of passengers carried, kilometres flown, and number of destinations served.

American Airlines, along with their regional partners, operate 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. To achieve this incredible accomplishment American Airlines has had to continuously update and perfect their brand and visual identity. Their previous designs remain as beautiful reminders of the spirit of their time.

The other airline posters covered in our Vintage Airline Poster Series are about

TWA posters, 

United Airlines posters,

Swissair posters . and

Air France posters .

If you want to find out more about airline vintage posters or if you are looking to buy a stunning original airline poster, check out these poster galleries and collectors listed on aproposter.com:

David Pollak Vintage Posters

Propeller Propaganda

Vintage Airline Posters

-by Jessica Davies-