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

by Maria Popova

Motoring in Germany, hunting in the USSR, beaching in Portugal, and other adventures.

Mid-century graphic design gave us such treasures as Saul Bass, the WPA, and science ads like we haven’t seen since. From the Boston Public Library’s Print Collection comes this stunning collection of vintage travel posters from the Golden Age of Travel, when railways stretched across America and Europe, swanky ocean liners brought elegance to international waters, and the roads swelled with automobiles. Armed with these vibrant visual ephemera, travel agents and ticket salesmen ushered in a new era of excitement about the adventures of travel, channeled through the language of design.

'Australia. Great Barrier Reef, Queensland,' Gert Sellheim, 1930-1939

'Orient Calls,' Mune Satomi, 1936

'Palestine Line,' T. Trepkowski, 1935

'Hunting in the USSR,' 1910-1959 (approximate)

'Italy,' Michahelles, 1910-1959 (approximate)

'La Syrie et le Liban,' Dabo, 1910-1959 (approximate)

'Visit Palestine,' Franz Krausz, 1930-1939 (approximate)

'Tasmania. The anglers' paradise,' 1910-1959 (approximate)

'Come and see Netherland India,' 1910-1959 (approximate)

'No rain in Portugal but tourists pour in,' Nuno Costa, 1954)

'Cote d'Azur,' Pierre Fix-Masseau, 1988)

'Klosters. Graubnden, Schweiz,' J. C. Müller, 1910-1959 (approximate)

'Japan,' Mune Satomi, 1937

'Varmland, Sweden. An unspoiled mecca for tourists,' Beckman, 1936

'Alaska via Canadian Pacific, Taku Glacier,' Greenwood, 1910-1959 (approximate)

'By train for seaside holidays! Take a Kodak,' Gert Sellheim, 1910-1959 (approximate)

'Motoring in Germany,' Ludwig Hohlwein, 1910-1959 (approximate)

'Where the deer and the antelope play. National Parks,' Dorothy Waugh, 1930-1939 (approximate)

'The adventures of today are the memories of tomorrow National Parks,' Dorothy Waugh, 1930-1939 (approximate)

'Eat more fruit. Put pep in your step' (Victorian Railways) by Dibdin and Brown, 1910-1959 (approximate)

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

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