You walk into a poster shop, you see some amazing poster and then you realize you have no idea what it means. We feel you. We got into this business because cool posters make cool art, and we needed to know their histories. There’s something that isn’t fully identifiable about posters that makes us feel like we’re stepping into a different lifetime. Space posters take us out of the world, movie posters let us time travel, classic art posters let us live amongst the greats. Today, we want to focus on one of our favorite genres: aviation posters. Let’s take a look at a few classic aviation posters and put them into context.

Pathways Across the Pacific

Pathways Across the Pacific portrays some of the earliest transoceanic travel. These were exciting times in our ancestors’ days! The flight above the water was new, it was risky, but boy was it worth it!

TWA San Francisco – The Lindbergh Line

The TWA San Francisco poster highlights an exciting time in propaganda, where flight made it possible to travel to new cities to explore.

Visit Cuba

The Visit Cuba poster is a classic and its simplicity is beautiful. Look for the classic Cuba colors of blue and yellow. Pan American Airways (once one of the most iconic airlines) boasted flying boats for getting to Cuba.

Coronado

Before there was the bridge that led from San Diego to its neighboring island, Coronado, flight was used to make it across the small stretch of Pacific to the enchanting little land. The poster of Coronado nearly mirrors the city’s postcards today. Not much changes when you’re removed by water.

Over Paris

Over Paris’s shot of the city doesn’t come with the clarity of today’s skyline, but it boasts plenty of old age mystique! Flying represented the crossing over boundaries and entering new territories. For some, the Over Paris poster represented a likely unachieved, but positively achievable dream.

Routes of the Flying Clipper Ships

This is a dazzler of a poster! The Flying Clippers were the most famous of the Flying Boat Airliners, the most dominant airline service in the 1920s and 30s. Before runways and airports had the capacity for many airline routes, Pan Am’s Flying Boats gained popularity by offering service into almost any city with a sheltered harbor. This print shows all of the routes the Flying Clipper Ships were taking. Amazing!

Hopefully this information was useful. Now you can walk into any poster shop or browse for prints online and educate your friends on where they come from. Enjoy your shopping on Impact Poster Gallery!