1930s travel posters

The Extraordinary Story of Iconic American Travel Posters

In the 1930s, at the height of the Great Depression, the New Deal created jobs for more than 8 million Americans with the development of the Works Projects Administration (WPA). In an effort to bring work to struggling artists, the WPA also hired illustrators, painters and other creative workers for special government-funded work as part of what it dubbed the Federal Art Project.

The effort was astonishing in scope: Between 1935 and 1943, some 2 million posters in 35,000 different designs were created in an effort to promote education, theater, health, safety — and travel.

To inspire American tourism, artists created posters showcasing cities, museums, monuments, zoos and other wonders of the American landscape. Arguably the most iconic posters of all, though, touted one of America's greatest treasures: its spectacular national park system. 

Vintage Posters of the National Parks

The majority of the WPA's national park posters are credited to artist C. (Chester) Don Powell, a Kansas man who studied art in Chicago. Unfortunately, World War II cut his project short, leaving just 14 original works, all of which are now collectibles that can fetch thousands of dollars.

Of the 14 posters, 11 originals have been recovered by a former park ranger, Doug Leen, who also works to create posters of additional parks in the same vintage style of the originals.

One poster, of Yosemite, is privately owned. Two posters, of Wind Cave and the Great Smoky Mountains, have been lost — if you find one, Ranger Doug wants to speak to you! 

Grand Teton's Jenny Lake Museum

The first park to get its own poster was Grand Teton National Park. Its poster appropriately depicts towering peaks, while nodding to the park's first ranger station, Jenny Lake Museum.

The log-cabin station opened in the Montana park in the 1930s and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. An original of this poster hangs in the museum.

Grand Canyon National Park

The second completed poster is a rendering of Grand Canyon National Park's Moran Point, a popular spot on the east rim that showcases dazzling views of the canyon and its rivers. 

The Grand Canyon had only been a national park for 19 years when this poster was created. Today, more than 6 million people visit the park annually, making it the second-most-visited in the country.

At the time the posters were created, they were sent to local Chambers of Commerce near the parks to help promote tourism. Only four copies from the original 1938 distribution exist.

Yellowstone National Park

Two posters were created for Yellowstone National Park. One featured a waterfall within the park; the other, pictured here, depicted the park's famous geyser, Old Faithful. There were no more than 100 total Yellowstone posters made, which is why they are so hard to find today. 

Only two originals of this geyser poster remain, including one the Library of Congress bought for a cool $6,000. Although created by Powell, the originals have "EM" initials, assumed to be the initials of the person who made the screening.

Glacier Bay National Monument

Although Glacier National Park was inducted into the park system in 1910, it wasn't until 1925 that President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Glacier Bay itself a national monument. Just 13 years later, the National Park Service was promoting the park, reached then by steamship and today by Alaskan cruises.

This poster, along with the additional 13 posters of the national parks, were hand-painted and mass-reproduced from paintings using silkscreen printing, which was a new technology in 1936. 

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Smoke billows out from the peak of Mt. Lassen in this poster depicting one of America's lesser-visited national parks. (A shame, as its forests, lakes and — of course — volcanoes are magnificent.)

The original poster of Lassen Volcano in California sold at auction for more than $4,000.

Zion National Park

To reproduce the lost posters, Ranger Doug uncovered black-and-white photography depicting the paintings. Guessing Zion's poster would highlight the park's beautiful sunset-hued colors, he crafted the version showed here. It was 10 years before he found the original, which actually used blue coloring.

Ranger Doug's version of this poster is the more popular of the reproductions purchased today.

Fort Marion National Monument

St. Augustine, Florida's Fort Marion was one of only two parks from the east to get a poster. (The other was Great Smoky Mountains National Park.)

Today, this monument is known as Castillo de San Marcos. It preserves a fort used by the Spanish, the British and then the Spanish again, before it was bought by the United States and used by the army until 1899.

See America

National parks weren't the only American marvels to get the snazzy poster treatment. The United States Travel Bureau also commissioned works that could be displayed in cities to inspire exploration.

This poster was created by artist Alexander Dux, one of more than 5,000 artists employed by the WPA. While not officially part of the national parks project — and even though it promotes America broadly — it actually does showcase a national park as backdrop: Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

Brooklyn Museum

Before the WAP was established in 1935, New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia had established his own poster project in 1934 to promote tourism to the Big Apple. When the federal project began, LaGuardia's project merged with, and became the largest division of, the WAP's Federal Art Project.

Both the mayor's and FAP's posters were mainly designed for art, music, theater and creative projects, but soon cities and states began using posters to promote other programs as well.

Puerto Rico

Also created for the New York City project was a poster promoting travel to Puerto Rico, as the city was touting destinations that could be reached by plane. New York City wanted more people to visit its airports and take flight.

This illustration was designed by Frank S. Nicholson and features a view of San Juan Harbor from Morro Caste.

Winter in New York

While New York City had the largest poster division in the country, New York State created tourism posters, as well, reminding travelers there was much more to see in the state than the Big Apple. This poster promotes the state's robust skiing scene; New York is home to 43 ski areas , reportedly more than any other state in the U.S.

Through the Federal Art Project, artists were paid $23.50 per week .

Brookfield Zoo

Chicago created a series of posters promoting the Brookfield Zoo, also called the Chicago Zoological Park, just outside of the city. The zoo had opened in 1934, and the city was attempting to promote it to nearby residents. Decades later, the zoo remains a popular Chicago attraction, housing 450 species of animals.

Other posters plugged sites like Buckingham Fountain, then touted as "the world's largest and most beautiful illuminated fountain"; it also remains a standout spot in the Windy City.

Philadelphia Zoo

Pennsylvania created many posters to promote Philadelphia and various tourist destinations, including the Amish Country.

The Philadelphia Zoo, which opened in 1874, was touted in several posters made by the Federal Art Project in Pennsylvania. Each poster featured animals found at the zoo, including a hippo, two herons and this blue elephant. The Philadelphia Zoo remains one of the best in the nation, home to some 1,300 animals.

New York Airports

Opposition within Congress caused the WAP program to end. By 1942, the WPA art projects were handed over to the Defense Department and transformed into the Graphics Section of the War Service Division. Artists created training aids and patriotic posters for the war.

The project officially ended on June 30, 1943.

The End of an Era

Due to the Federal Art Project's eight years of employment, renowned artists such as Jackson Pollock were able to continue to earn a living creatively. 

The program also brought art classes to schools and created more than 100 community art centers and galleries across America, keeping art alive for millions during the Great Depression.

The total investment? Nearly $35 million . (More than $520 million in today's terms!)

Vintage Travel Posters and WPA Travel Posters from around the world. Featuring  vintage travel posters from Europe, South America, the American West and the WPA. Our vintage travel posters are printed on museum-quality paper and make a fine addition to the home or board room. WPA travel posters evoke classic 1940s American design. At a time when many Americans were ready to set out for adventures in their cars, vintage WPA travel posters helped fuel the imagination.

Meet The Artists Behind Your Favourite Vintage Travel Posters

In my late teens, I bought myself a calendar that was illustrated with vintage travel posters. I was particularly smitten with one for Cuba produced in 1949 by the Cuban Tourist Commission. From that moment I formed a slight obsession with the beautiful artwork created to sell travel in the early days of advertising.

Since becoming a graphic designer I’ve found myself asking “who are the artists behind these fabulous vintage travel poster designs? What was their process? Did they travel to all the places they illustrated?” So, I did a little research into these advertising industry pioneers and this is what I found.

Table of contents

A brief history of the travel poster, joseph binder, donald brun, fred ludekens, abram games, frank newbould, david klein, maurice laban, jan lewitt & george him, harry rogers, james northfield, bernard villemot, edmond maurus, albert solon, frank soltesz, vincent guerra, albert victor eugène brenet, joseph feher, vittorio grassi, otto nielsen, lucien boucher, robert falcucci, georges dorival, roger broders, harry stevens, daphne padden, percy padden, tom eckersley, reginald montague lander.

Modern posters were born in the mid-nineteenth century when a few planets aligned. The first was the development of printing technology, which allowed for mass production of colour images (“mass” being a relative term to today’s standards). The second was countries such as France lifting government censorship of public places. Lastly, mass-produced consumer goods were being advertised in populated urban environments.

By the late nineteenth century, posters had hit their stride in Europe with many fine artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec taking up poster commissions. As the new century dawned, posters grew in popularity and their design became an increasingly respected art form.

Early twentieth-century travel posters were often commissioned by rail lines, and later airlines, to advertise their mode of transport using images of exotic destinations. Poster artwork varied in style as fashions came and went: art nouveau, art deco and modernism were key styles of the travel poster era. Finally, poster art gave way to photography in the 1960s, as printing technology underwent another evolution.

The art of vintage posters has experienced a renaissance in the last two decades, as new generations rediscover the illustrations and paintings of the past. Original travel posters are now highly collectible items. In 2014, Christie’s sold Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge lithograph  for £314,500, its highest-grossing travel poster in history. I grew up with this image printed on a set of coasters that my mum purchased while travelling in France. For those who aren’t millionaires yet, prints of vintage posters can also be purchased at much more reasonable prices.

The artists behind the posters

Allow me to introduce to you the mysterious talents behind the vintage travel posters you love. This is by no means a definitive list and there are many artists unaccounted for – these are artists behind some of the most recognisable and collectible travel artworks. Sadly, there is very little information available about some of them.

Joseph Binder (1898–1972) trained in lithography and studied at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts before establishing his own graphic design studio, Vienna Graphics, specialising in advertising and poster design. After visiting the US as a guest lecturer at the Chicago Art Institute and Minneapolis School of Art, he immigrated to New York in 1936. He created modernist masterpieces for American Railroads, American Airlines, and United Airlines such as these.

Swiss illustrator Donald Brun (1909-1999) was a student of one of Switzerland’s first professional calligraphic artists. He apprenticed as a publicity illustrator and took art classes in Basel and Berlin before becoming a freelance artist. Brun created posters for Swissair among others. Though he never stuck to one particular style, my personal favourites are the “picture-in-picture” posters he designed, like those below.

Californian illustrator Stan Galli (1912-2009) may have created your favourite 1950’s poster for United Airlines. Galli studied at the California Art Institute (now the San Francisco Art Institute) before becoming an advertising artist. He worked in various areas from designing postage stamps to Navy instructional manuals over the course of his long career. His posters for United Airlines are among the most collected vintage travel posters today.

Fred Ludekens (1900-1982), was an American artist and illustrator. The Californian had no formal training and worked initially as a billboard painter. Ludekens produced work for magazines and other media. He worked alongside the aforementioned Stan Galli at one time, painting wildlife images for Weyerhauser Timber advertisements. Ludekens created a series of posters for American and United Airlines in the 1950s.

British born designer Abram Games was one of the last of the great poster designers, as the art was lost to offset printing and photography. His early work was often for London Transport and Shell.  After a stint in the British War Office during World War II, Games returned to posters for British Airways, Aer Lingus and EL AL.

British artist Frank Newbould (1887-1951) attended the Bradford College of Art and Camberwell School of Art. He designed many posters for railways and shipping companies, before WWII at which time he became assistant to Abram Games (above) at the war office. Frank Newbould along with the artists, Tom Purvis (below), Austin Cooper, Fred Taylor, Frank Mason were the “Big 5” that for a time were exclusively contracted to design travel posters for LNER (London and Northeastern Railway).

British artist Tom Purvis (1888-1959), attended the Camberwell School of Art. He worked in advertising agency Mather and Crowther before branching out on his own as a freelancer. Between 1923 and 1945 he created over 100 posters for London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), depicting the rail lines destinations in bold, flat colour with little detail. Though Purvis moved away from this style later, reintroducing some detail into his imagery, that vibrant, minimalist style is one of my absolute favourites.

David Klein (1918-2005) created boldly coloured modernist posters. The Texas native studied at the Art Center School (also known as the Art Center College of Design) in Los Angeles. He created illustrations for the U.S. Armed Forces during WWII, then went to live and work in New York City. He created most of his travel-related work between the mid-1950s and ’60s. Klein’s commercial art includes these memorable commissions for TWA.

British freelance illustrator Maurice Laban (1912-1970) created posters during the 1940s through to their dying moments in the 1960s. His vibrant posters for BOAC/Qantas were printed by silkscreen technique and made use of fluorescent opaque inks.

The graphic design duo of Jan Lewitt (1907-1991) and George Him (1900-192) came out of the early ’30s in Warsaw. They relocated to London and worked together through to 1955.

Harry Rogers (1929-2012) was an Australian designer who created several series of Qantas posters from the 1950s through 1970s, utilizing techniques such as paper cutting, collage and watercolour to define each campaign.

Another Australian, James Northfield (1887-1973), was educated in Melbourne. As a commercial artist, Northfield created posters for the Australian National Travel Association to promote Australian destinations to domestic and overseas audiences.

French graphic designer Bernard Villemot (1911-1989) is associated with his work for Air France, Bally, Perrier and Orangina. Villemot initially studied with master art deco poster artist Paul Colin.  His work has been in high demand since his death in 1989.

Edmond Maurus designed art deco posters for French airlines Air Union and Air France between 1925 and 1955. The French artist studied at the Germain Pilon School.

Albert Solon (1897-1973) was also known for his art deco posters. The self-taught artist who became a cartoonist, created posters for airlines during the 1920s and ’30s including Farman, SABENA, Air France, Luft Hansa, Imperial Airways, KLM and l’Aéropostale.

American artist Frank Soltesz (1912-1986) studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and went into newspapers and advertising. The president of TWA in 1945, Jack Frye, offered Soltesz a job creating magazine advertisements which were seen in publications such as Life, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Forbes, Fortune and Time.

French painter Vincent Guerra is largely a mystery, but his work for Air France and Aerovias Guest after WWII are notable contributions to poster design.

Albert Victor Eugène Brenet (1903-2005), who was born in France and studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He travelled for magazine LÍllustration and was appointed official artist for the three French military branches during WWII. Post-war he went into commercial illustration including advertising posters for airlines.

Joseph Feher (1908-1987), a Hungarian born and trained artist, studied at the Academy Bella Arte in Florence, Italy and Bauhaus, Germany. He also obtained a scholarship to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the late 1920s. From there, his work in commercial art and portraiture began. Feher taught in Chicago and at the Academy of Arts in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was also flown around the continental United States by United Airlines, to paint watercolours of cities for ads and calendars until about 1949.

Italian painter Vittorio Grassi (1878-1958) started out at the Bank of Italy, testing typographic techniques as a means of counterfeit prevention, while he practised his landscape painting. He later moved into commercial work, designing stamps and posters for the Italian Government Tourist Board and the Italian Railroad System among other public agencies.

Otto Nielsen is the Danish painter who designed travel posters for Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) between 1954 and 1976 in his unique oil painting style.

Parisian born artist Jean Even (1910-1986) studied at the Ecole Boulle and Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. Even favoured gouache for its matt colours, speedy drying and compatibility with light paper, all qualities excellent for travel.

Another Air France favourite is Lucien Boucher (1889-1971), whose design career began at the Ceramique de Sevres. He debuted a the Salon d’Automne in 1921 before becoming a member two years later. He exhibited at the Salon de L’Araignée in 1924 through 190. Boucher produced lithographs, wood engravings and watercolour drawings. In 1935 he began working for Air France and gained a reputation for his planispheres – a flat representation of the earth.

Robert Falcucci (1900-1989), was a French illustrator and painter who studied at the Ecole Normale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs, Paris. Falcucci spent time directing magazine advertisements for Renault; illustrated a cover of L-Illustration magazine; and worked with couturier Paul Poiret. Arguably, his best-known work his program artwork for the Monte Carlo Rally, and posters for rail line Paris-Lyon-Mediterranean (PLM).

Georges “Géo” Dorival (1879-1968) was a French poster artist who also specialised in glass plates and shadow puppet theatre. He studied at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris. His best-known travel work includes posters for destinations such as Venice, Cote d’Azur, Mont Blanc, Heyeres and Brittany, as well as the railroads such as the Chemins de Fer de l’Etat.

Parisian born, Roger Broders, was best known for his travel posters of fashionable French resorts of the 1920s and ’30s. Broders created simplified imagery with bold, flat fields of colour and minimal lettering in contemporary typefaces of their time. The artist was commissioned by The Paris Lyon Mediteranée Company (PLM), who sponsored his travel so that he could visit the destinations he was to illustrate. He was said to have been a cigar aficionado, foodie and lover of cafe culture – aside from the cigars, he sounds like my kind of man!

Kurt Wirth (1917-1996) was a Swiss graphic designer and illustrator. He started his own studio in 1937 and was a co-founder of the Swiss Graphic Designers Association. Wirth is known for creating modernist posters for Swissair and Swiss Federal Railways. He also taught at the School of Art of Bern.

Born in Manchester, England in 1919, Harry Stevens started his design career with no formal art training. He designed posters for London Transport from 1960-1978 and various other high-profile clients. He won the Council of Industrial Design Poster Award in 1963 and became a fellow of the Society of Industrial Artists.

Another British artist who created popular mid-century travel posters was Daphne Padden (1927-2009). The daughter of Percy Padden, a travel poster artist of the 1920s and 30s, Daphne worked as a commercial designer before moving into fine art later in her career. She studied at Epsom & Ewell School of Art and earned a National Diploma in Design for painting. Daphne’s freelance clients included the British Transport Commission, P&O Orient Lines and British European Airways.

Now seems a good time to mention more of Daphne’s dad, Percy (1885-1965) . There doesn’t seem to be much information about Mr Padden. What we do know is that he studied at the Royal College of Art and mostly worked for the post office, producing posters advertising cruises on mail boats. 

Lancashire-born in 1914, Tom Eckersley, was commissioned by Transport for London, National Savings Bank, Guinness and Gillette among other big names. He studied at the Salford School of Art, where he met student Eric Lombers. Graduating in 1934, Eckersley began a freelance graphic design career in London, in partnership with Lombers. They soon won commissions by London Transport and within a few years were both lecturing at the Westminster School of Art.

Eckersley’s career was interrupted by WWII when he enlisted in the R.A.F. and worked as a cartographer. He also produced “war effort” posters during this time. After the war, he continued to teach and take commissions for poster designs. Eckersley became a fellow of the Society of Typographic Designers and Society of Artists and Designers, along with an honorary fellow of Manchester College of Art & Design and the Royal Colleg of Art.

Born in London in 1913, Lander received his art education at Hammersmith School of Art. He became the chief designer and studio manager at Ralph Mott Studio during the 1930s. Lander produced posters for GWR, LNER, British Railways and the Post Office. He worked in gouache and watercolour.

Image via Original Railway Posters

Image via invaluable.com

Where to buy posters and prints

Galerie 123 , Switzerland

Affiche Passion , France

The Ross Art Group , USA (New York)

The Vintage Poster , USA (California)

International Poster Gallery , USA (Boston)

Antikbar , UK

All Posters

Vintagraph, USA

Printism , Australia

What is your favourite vintage travel poster? Drop a comment below and let me know.

I hope you’ve enjoyed getting acquainted with the artists that inspired travellers of yesteryear and found a little duende of your own. If so, you might also enjoy this artful history of travel postcards .

Peace, love & inspiring travel,

Art Moderne in Cleveland – Coast Guard Station #219

The unique art of lotus weaving in myanmar.

My favourite is my 1950 karnten Austria by an artist called Ludwig depicting a view of a beautiful lake from a hotel . It has such vibrant colours and gives you a sense that you are actually there. For a poster toned that takes great skill . But now I’m thinking about my other posters and it’s like having children do you have a favourite hahaha. Thanks for your time to write about the artists and posters. I still have a few I am trying to find out about.

Hi David, Your Karnten poster sounds wonderful. It can be challenging to find info about the poster artists. It’s a shame considering how talented they were! I am always updating my posts so if you have an artist you’d like me to look into, let me know. I can’t promise I’ll turn up anything you haven’t already, but I would be willing to have a go.

Thanks for stopping by Duende, Zoë (aka Madam ZoZo)

Hi there. Love the site. I wondered if you could help me? I love a poster for Continenral Airways advertising Los Angeles which has a glamorous couple on the beach- the lady has golden hair in the style of a Hollywood star and there is a plane flying overhead.. It looks late ’50s to me. Would you know who the artist would be? My email address is xxx. Thanks Paul Moody

That is a tricky one. I haven’t been able to get much info at all on that particular poster. I agree it looks like the late ’50s given the style and fashion depicted. Continental used that particular logo between 1937-1960 so it is unlikely to be later. I found an aircraft buff who proposed the plane pictured was a DC-7B which also fits with the 1950s timeframe. Many of the well-known artists of that period seem to have been tied up with other airlines at the time and probably had exclusivity agreements. I couldn’t confirm anything further. Should I happen across more details, I’ll let you know.

Zoe aka Madam ZoZo

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Love Exploring

30 Vintage Posters From America's Golden Age Of Travel

Posted: February 17, 2024 | Last updated: February 18, 2024

Perfect posters

America's jaw-dropping natural wonders, big-name hotels and fabulous cities need little advertising – but these pretty promotional posters put the USA's beauty on paper. From vibrant airline artworks to plugs for treasure-filled national parks, these are 30 of the most beautiful American travel adverts. 

Sailing the seas

Yellowstone's natural wonders

Grand Canyon landscapes

The mighty Grand Canyon could easily do without promo posters – the drama of those burnt red rocks sells itself. But this advert from the National Park Service and the US Department of the Interior is captivating nonetheless. The poster dates to the 1930s and shows the canyon's Mars-like landscape capped by clouds. 

A landmark Big Apple hotel

See Glacier National Park

Into America's caves

America's natural beauty is captured again in this advert from the United States Travel Bureau. "See America" is the call as awestruck travelers gaze upon the ice-colored stalactites in a sprawling cave system. The poster dates back to the 1930s. 

Railroading in the Southwest

Bryce Canyon National Park is the star of this railroad advert and its fiery pinnacles look mighty fine against a vivid blue sky. The poster promotes a journey with the Chicago and North Western Railway Company that joins up three of America's most spectacular national parks: Bryce Canyon, Zion and the Grand Canyon. 

Luxurious scenes at the Miami Biltmore

Coastal views in Acadia National Park

The US Department of the Interior has put out hundreds of promotional posters over the decades, celebrating America's incredible wildernesses and natural wonders. Here the spotlight is on Acadia National Park, with the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse brooding on rocky shores.

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Dall sheep in Denali

Another stunning offering from the US Department of the Interior, this advert showcases Denali National Park, then known as Mount McKinley. A Dall sheep drinks in the view as the mammoth peak of Denali rises behind him. The poster invites travelers to "visit North America's highest mountain". 

The "Vacation City"

Braniff International Airways and the Lone Star State

Fiery wonders in Hawaii

This moody poster advertises what is now Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It shows the earth cracked with lava and the sky blazing orange as travelers look on from the rim of the burning Halemaʻumaʻu crater – "home of the fire goddess Pele". The poster also promotes hikes across the volcanic terrain and naturalist-led activities. 

Volcanic treasures in California

A stay at Disneyland

Where better to stay than "The Happiest Place On Earth"? This simple advert promotes California's Disneyland Hotel, originally opened in 1955. It shows off the hotel pool, parking spaces and gardens, while Disney's glittering attractions, including Sleeping Beauty Castle, can be seen overhead.

A Tomorrowland attraction

California's Disneyland has endless attractions and that means endless fun promotional posters hyping up the best of what the park has to offer. This one harks from 1956 and promotes a historic Tomorrowland attraction, popular in the Fifties and Sixties. It was a walk-through display of props and memorabilia from the film 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and included a mechanical giant squid. 

A snapshot of the Pacific Northwest

A home from "coast to coast"

The Holiday Inn looks mighty inviting in this retro ad from 1957. The chain was established as a string of motels back in the Fifties and it soon burgeoned across America and eventually beyond. The brand is advertised here in the early days with a bright sign and the welcoming slogan "your host from coast to coast". 

Pan Am and the Aloha State

Pan American Airways was once America's star airline, an aviation heavyweight from the Twenties right up until it collapsed in 1991. The carrier whisked passengers to all corners of the globe in its famous "clipper" planes and here it advertises its Hawaii routes. A female hula dancer is depicted in traditional dress, including a grass skirt. 

TWA and the City by the Bay

San Francisco's cityscape turns heads in this vivid advert. It's the work of Trans World Airlines (TWA), a major American airline that operated from the 1930s right up until the early Noughties, when it eventually came under the American Airlines brand. This poster dates to the airline's 1950s heyday and the bold design, dominated by the Golden Gate Bridge, was created by American artist David Klein. 

TWA and the City of Angels

TWA captures another glorious Golden State city here. This time it's promoting Los Angeles routes, with a TWA plane soaring above a classic Californian scene. Notice the golden skies, champagne sands and swaying palms, plus the striking Spanish mission. The poster dates to the 1950s. 

On the road in Sin City

This buzzy ad doubles as a promotion for car-rental company Hertz and the glitzy resorts of Sin City. Pictured is the renowned Desert Inn, on the Las Vegas Strip, with well-heeled vacationers flocking around a smart rental car. The ad waxes lyrical about the hotel, hailing its 'Olympic-sized' pool and its 270 beautiful acres. 

American Airlines and the Windy City

Flying into the Big Apple

Chugging through Disneyland

This 1980s Disney advert oozes nostalgia. It promotes the Disneyland Railroad (once the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad), which is tipped as one of Walt Disney's own favorite attractions. The train rattles across the park, passing through lands including Old West-themed Frontierland. This eye-catching poster shows off the jolly red locomotive with a frame of pretty greenery and red pinnacles rising in the background.

Sights in the Silver State

Bright lights of Sin City

Soaring over Yosemite

Adventures in California

This vintage ad from the Union Pacific Railroad will have you dreaming of a Californian escape. The retro poster sees one of the Union Pacific Railroad's signature yellow trains join some of the Golden State's bucket-list sights. Soaring sequoia trees and Santa Catalina Island sit alongside the Golden Gate Bridge and Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. 

A Coney Island carnival

The heady spirit of Coney Island is captured in this fun advert from the late 19th century. It's promoting The Great Coney Island Water Carnival, hosted by the Barnum & Bailey Circus company, and you can spot wading clowns, soaring divers and even boxers making a splash. Coney Island's iconic amusements rise behind the chaos. 

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Now take a look at the world's most beautiful travel posters

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• The Inventory

13 Gorgeous Travel Posters From 1930s Japan

These extremely rare, previously unseen travel posters make me want to travel back in time and visit a Japan of another era. These beautiful graphics were recently rediscovered, and they'll auctioned off at the Vintage Movie Posters Signature Auction this month.

According to Collector's Weekly , the posters were found in by an unwitting student, and it turns out each could be worth more than $1,000. Here's how appraiser Rudy Franchi described the find :

The guy said his aunt had died and left him the contents of her antiques shop, which she had closed up years before. As he went through her stuff, he found a roll of old posters. The aunt dealt in furniture, so the posters may have been in the drawer of something she bought—I've seen that happen five or six times. Posters weren't her field, so she probably just put them aside.

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These beautiful posters were issued by Japanese rail agencies or tourism bureaus, and were created for domestic use only, to promote travel within Japan and its territories, to various national parks, hot spring resorts and other notable destinations. And damn, the graphic design. Following the sophisticated ukiyo-e way—the famous Japanese woodblock printmaking tradition–the graphics themselves are so perfect, I feel homesick for places I've never once been.

Fields of Color, Yamanashi Prefecture (Japanese Railways, 1930s)

Source: Heritage Auctions

Mount Kumgang in Korea (Japanese Tourist Bureau, 1930s)

Chuba, futamata (nagoya rail agency, 1930s), hakusan, ready to be climbed (nagoya rail agency, 1930s), kirishima, kagoshim prefecture, retreat of spirits (japanese rail, 1930s), sea bathing in obama, fukui (osaka and nagoya rail agency, 1930s), nara (nara tourist bureau, 1930s), autumn: red leaves and onsen (osaka and nagoya rail agency, 1930s), golden years (retirement) in the summer (nagoya rail agency, 1930s), autumn in nagoya (nagoya tourism bureau, 1930s), standing on mountains (nagoya rail agency, 1930s), towards matsujima (sendai rail bureau, 1930s), summer at miho peninsula (nagoya rail agency, 1930s).

Take a trip into the past: rare Australian vintage travel posters – in pictures

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Early 20th century travel posters capture the era’s aesthetic sensibility. Two designers led the way promoting Australia to the world in the interwar period. James Northfield was best known for his work with the Australian National Travel Association, often spruiking the merits of train travel throughout the continent, appealing to the beauty of the Australian wilderness. Percival Albert Trompf painted thousands of posters for companies including Bryant & May Pty Ltd and Palmolive Co Ltd, as well as the magazine Walkabout. His most popular designs depicted historical events, such as the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Works from both designers will be auctioned at New York’s Swann Auction Galleries this week. Here’s a selection of the Australian offerings – and some international ones

Thu 14 Nov 2019 00.37 GMT Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 16.02 BST

James Northfield

Edmund Herbert Turner

Mark von Arenburg

Designer unknown

Roger Broders

Percival Albert Trompf

Maurice A Miles

• Australia holidays
• Australasia holidays

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• Travel posters of Japan
• Japan in the 1930s
• Japanese Government Railways
• Art Deco posters
• Matsushima in art
• Islands of Japan in art
• Extracted images
• Images from Heritage Auctions

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