Lucien Boucher, “Air France / De Jour Et De Nuit” (1938), estimate $2,000 to $3,000 (all images courtesy Swann Auction Galleries)
On May 6, 1937, the LZ1 129 Hindenburg zeppelin exploded as it attempted to land in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 on board and marking one of the most famous disasters in the history of travel. Once a gleaming vision of the future of transportation, the Hindenburg lives on today in images — photographs as well as advertising posters that record the excitement over airships at the time.
Jupp Wiertz, “2 Days to Europe / Hamburg – American Line” (1936), estimate $8,000 to $12,000
One such poster, designed by German artist Jupp Wiertz a year before that fatal flight, envisions the dirigible in a cinematic scene, floating above a misty Manhattan. In the background shines the Empire State Building, which developers once imagined would welcome airships with a docking mast on its top. At the bottom of the poster, the words “2 Days to Europe” promise swift journey from New York City.
Wiertz’s design, now a record of failed ideals, is one of the many travel posters from the early to mid 20th century being offered at a Swann Auction Galleries’ sale on October 27. Some are by established artists, such as British painter Laura Knight, who was the first woman elected to the Royal Academy in 1936. Perhaps best known for a daring self-portrait that portrayed her painting a nude woman, Knight designed seven posters for London Transport. One of them is among the over 200 listed in the Swann sale, which captures the thrill of increased globalization and emerging modes of travel, while showcasing some stirring designs from the past.
The sky routes we see on airplane monitors today, for instance, are simply informative. But in the 1930s, when commercial flight was just taking off, Air France started using planispheres — celestial charts — to showcase its paths. In one 1938 example, French illustrator Lucien Boucher presents a gorgeous map that highlights routes in gold, surrounded by mythical creatures and signs of the zodiac.
Of course, the wonder of travel also manifested in a rich variety of visuals grounded on earth. The sights of faraway destinations — bright parrots in Australia, sphinxes in Egypt, women in Algeria wearing traditional garb — were marketed as the thrills awaiting those who snagged tickets. One poster for Argentina and Brazil shows an oversize, allegorical woman pulling aside a curtain to reveal the South American landscape. Another, for the South Pacific, recalls Gauguin, with an indigenous women wearing a flower crown and sprawled like an odalisque figure; she’s turned away from us to observe a seaplane flying over a picturesque bay. The location is apparently imagined, a creation of composite views by its artist, Paul George Lawler, of scenic bays around the region.
Odin Rosenvinge, “Argentina (Sunny South) and Brazil” (c. 1910), estimate $2,000 to $3,000
Paul George Lawler, “Fly to the South Sea Isles / Via Pan American” (c. 1938), estimate $8,000 to $12,000
The journeys themselves constituted a significant part of these adventures. Posters showcase the luxuries available on all forms of transport, from sports decks on ocean liners to meal service on aircrafts; enjoying these amenities are beautiful, happy individuals, who give life to the visions of continuous comfort and entertainment. The planes, trains, and ships are rendered in forms that highlight the innovation behind them — particularly the sleek lines of Art Deco, as exemplified in Leslie Ragan’s 1939 image of the New York Central Railroad’s 20th Century Limited, which was billed as “The Most Famous Train in the World.” That image was so celebrated that the United States Postal Service turned it into a limited-edition stamp in 1999.
Realistically, only affluent people could enjoy the full luxuries of commercial travel illustrated in these posters. But the images mesmerize, even today; they are capable, at least, of whisking off anyone’s imagination to distant lands.
Laura Knight, “The Yorkshire Coast” (1929), estimate $4,000 to $6,000
“Conozca Primero a Venezuela,” designer unknown (c. 1950s), estimate $400 to $600
Nordman, “Egypt Calls You / Egyptian State Railways” (c. 1930), estimate $800 to $1,200.
Leslie Ragan, The New 20th Century Limited (1939), estimate $12,000 to $18,000
Léon Carré, “Tlemcen / PLM” (1929), estimate $1,200 to $1,800
Ellis Silas, “P & O Cruises / Mediterranean / Norway” (c. 1928), estimate $3,000 to $4,000
Nikolai Zhukov and Sergei Sakharov, “Crimee” (1935), estimate $700 to $1,000
Charles C. Dickson, “Imperial Airways / The “Silver Wing” De Luxe” (c. 1927) estimate $4,000 to $6,000
The Rare & Important Travel Posters sale takes place on October 27 at Swann Galleries (104 E 25th Street, Kips Bay, Manhattan) and online.
