The Vintage and Neo-Vintage Travel Posters of Europe

There was a time, before the daily digital bombardment of pop-up travel ads, replete with saturated photographs of far off places promising relaxation and inner-peace. A time when world travel was just taking flight, a time when adventure and fantasy collided. This was the age of the travel poster.

Certainly one of the most underrated forms of art, the travel poster is as effective as it is simple.

The 19th and especially the 20th century saw the advent of mass tourism. Every region wanted their cut in the travel boom. First rail-lines and then airlines rushed to capitalise on the newfound disposable income of a growing western middle class.

England

Americans were fascinated with their wartime ally England. Culturally similar so as to make a journey practicable, yet dissimilar enough to provoke curiosity and make for good stories to tell the folks back state-side.

Domestically produced railway posters aimed to highlight the quieter medieval cathedral towns dotted around the country, whereas foreign produced airline posters focused on the royal pageantry of the house of Windsor.

Americans in particular were enticed to make the transatlantic journey to see what they could not hope to see in their native republic, namely a constitutional monarchy.

It is rather logical that, once in England, tourists or excursionists alike were encouraged to visit peripheral attractions outside of the sprawling metropolis of London and discover some underappreciated culture.

The scale and organisation of the new tourism can be seen in the posters description of “conducted tours” and professional “travel agencies”.

Many posters also feature handheld personal film cameras, a novelty for the time. In images like this we can see what would one day become our modern selfie stick travel culture.

Most posters focus on the unique selling point of the featured region. For Americans, accustomed to fast paced modern life, the unmoving eternal stone of the middle ages captured the imagination.

Ireland

Travel posters featuring Ireland put these above mentioned principles to effective use. Ireland, for many Americans, was a land of green hills, ruined castles and leprechauns lurking between the bushes. Travel posters didn't discourage such romanticized views.

Ireland was seen as a peaceful land of friendly charming locals, a land and people connected to the past, if not perhaps even still living in it.

Unspoiled by the industrial revolution, it was a paradise of nature and pristinely preserved landscape.

Its glory days rooted in the early medieval period, and its Celtic Catholic culture were common motifs found throughout travel posters featuring the “Emerald Isle”.

Dublin in contrast was seen as a Georgian city with a strong British anglicised legacy. Some forigen produced posters chose to focus on this past (for example British Railways). In contrast Irish depictions of Dublin in Travel posters focused on the Viking and medieval legacy (for example CIE).

Belgium

1-vintage-poster-brussels-vintage-images[1].jpg

Belgium was a small land, a recent creation, the product of a revolution in the 1830s. Yet this rather young land was portrayed and portrayed herself as a land of medieval Christendom.

Other portrayals focused on its new late 19th century and early 20th century colonial exploits, before such glorification went rapidly out of favour.

Searching for an identity in a culturally divided state, the Beligum’s embraced their common medieval heritage, a time before national identities mattered all that much.

France

France and especially Paris had long been associated with romance, elegance and culture. To visit France was the sophisticated thing to do and expected of any Globe trotter worth their salt.

The Eiffel Tower over time became the universal symbol of France to the world. One would be hard pressed to find a travel poster of the French capital without it featuring either in the foreground or the background.

Paris was above all, romantic street cafes and funny moustaches. Paris was a popular feature of Canadian made travel posters, France was in a way as much of a mother country to Canada as Britain was (especially for French speaking Quebec).

France however was not just Paris (as much as the Parisians like to think). To the far north lay Mont Saint Michel, one of the most epic island monastic settlements in all of Europe and to the far south lay the sandy Mediterranean beaches of the French Riviera.

Germany

Germany is an interesting case in regards to 20th Century tourism. After the “Wohlstand für Alle” (prosperity for all) policies of CDU Ludwig Erhard, German tourists flocked to the sunny Mediterranean beaches of Southern Europe. Incoming traffic wasn’t to same volume at all. While not the destination for the pool side daydreamer, the type of tourist that Germany did attract was that of the explorer.

Germany did have its own Baltic and North Sea coastline and in the 1930s made an effort to market it as a beach destination, but to little success.

However, what they lacked in tropical coastline they made up for in scenic castles and imposing mountains.

motoring-in-germany-retro-travel-poster-vintage-poster-studio-grafiikka[1].jpg

Motor tours were all the rage in the 1950s and 1960s. One could rent a car and drive from one small historic town to the next, in many cases being confronted with the aftermath of recent war.

pan-am-lallemagne-par-clipper-31640-aviation-vintage-poster.jpg.960x0_q85_upscale[1].jpg

However, remote small towns and picturesque castles were often spared the fate of the larger cities like Lübeck, Cologne and Dresden, which faced destruction of an apocalyptic scale.

Italy

Italy held a place in the imagination of the 20th Century tourist like no other. It had it all, history, sun, fashion and cuisine.

vintage-original-1980s-venice-train_1_afe26b77fef0e9ba79b0f27c75b8a47f[5].jpg

Cities like Venice and Florence didn't even need to advertise themselves. The volume of tourists was such that these cities would soon be overrun with polaroid cameras and SPF 50 sunscreen.

Cities like Florence, Venice and Verona were world capitals of culture. Ever since the days of Shakespeare, their names have resonated in the English speaking world. Many classical literature lovers had romanticised perceptions of these former city-states and posters like these aimed to encourage potential tourists to act on such curiosity.

In addition to the standard tourist profiles of the cultural enthusiast and the sun seeker, Italy had its fair share of pilgrims. Catholics and others from around the world converged on Italy (Rome and Assisi in particular) to pray before the relics of saints and see the Holy Father.

Spain

Spain, as many university students and young professionals think of it today, is a tourist destination due to its beaches and adjacent questionable nightlife. However this image is a very recent development. The Spain of the mid 20th century was above all a cultural destination.

While Spain’s heritage sights suffered greatly from anarchist and communist led iconoclasm in the late 1930s, many locations survived mostly unscathed. Gaudi's Barcelona is a prime example of this. Nowhere in the world could one find such uniquely novel and yet aesthetically pleasing art and architecture.

vintage-original-1965-spain-travel_1_cc129c589a81086689b7b9c74e83e389.jpg

Cultural spectacles also brought in many tourists. Whether, the running of the bulls in Pamplona or Holy Week in Sevilla, Spain had so much to offer.

One often doesn't think of Spain when pondering the mighty castles of Europe. However castles like Alcázar of Segovia would rival anything that Disneyland could imagine.

Austria and the former Habsburg lands

In terms of variety of culture and landscape, Austria and her former Empire had no rival. In a world of the nation state the idea of composite monarchy captured the imagination. That which is most difficult to understand, is often that which carries the most mystery and intrigue.

Tourists could navigate the mighty Danube river from the Alps to the Black Sea, encountering culture and culture, each distinct from the last.

In the Alps one could find the “true” Austria. Glacier Mountains interrupted by pristine fresh water lakes and rolling meadows. This image of lederhosen wearing, jolly, peace loving, alternative Germans known as Austrians would be popularised by films such as the Sound of Music, which would do, and still continue to do, more for Austrian tourism than any poster ever could.

Winter tourism also contributed heavily to the prosperity of Austrian Alpine towns and villages, with many developing the image of ski resorts. Guaranteed snow and excellent facilities to accommodate winter sport enthusiasts, made Austria the go-to destination for many Europeans.

Vienna, as the former imperial capital, had a distinctive idenity to the rest of Austria. It was portrayed as a leader of high-end fashion and opera culture. The Alpine west however had a more traditional folk culture associate with it.

Budapest was the second city and later dual-capital of the empire. It was a city that historically embraced Neo-Gothic architecture and was deeply rooted to its past. Despite the legacy of the Soviet proxy control, it continues to this day to place a high value on its history and native culture.

Prague, even after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, embraced its past as a major city of the Holy Roman Empire. Many tourists from France in particular traveled by rail to see the medieval splendour of the city. Tourism during the Cold War slowed down dramatically, being content to survive on the business of East Germans, and only recently recovering due to European inter-railing culture. It’s image endures and is today one of the most visited cities in all of Europe.

The story continues

Like any good story, vintage poster art will continue to endure as long as there is a public to appreciate it. Below you can find an overview of some of the most interesting artists and studios continuing to produce high quality Poster art to this day. Their work values the continuity that is so vital to the genre, while simultaneously expressing their individual style.

Anderson Design Group, Inc.

Perhaps one of the best examples of Neo-Vintage Poster Art producers is the Anderson Design Group. Artists like Kai Carpenter have been pioneers in this field and continue to produce high quality content to this day. I would highly recommend to read his November 2016 interview on his inspirations and method. The full collection of their work can be found at their website.

Roger O’Reilly

Roger O’Reilly has an entire county by county collection of Neo-Vintage destination posters at his website irelandposters.ie. His main interests include coastline landscapes and his work has featured in several historical era TV series.

Jim Zahniser

Jim is an American artist whose work primarily focuses on popular culture icons of the 20th century and stylised cityscape posters. His work is available in a range of stationary and home decoration products, all of which can be found on the Fine Art America website.

Idea Storm Studios

Idea Storm Studios have a wide range of art products on their website. The brains behind the storm is Alex Asfour. He has worked on many advertising campaigns and many readers will have seen his work without even knowing, such the is life of a 21st Century artist.

Charles Avalon

Working for more than thirty years in advertising, Charles Avalon has become a master of his trade. His work most often features cars and boats, blending dynamic movement and inspiring background. His work and that of his colleagues can be found at the Pullman Editions website.

Wickstrom Illustration

Martin Wickstrom based out of New York uses his artwork to tell stories. From noble knights to fair princesses, from medieval legends to ancient Greek myths, his portrayals of children’s tales capture the imagination with their approachable simplicity. He is rather less known for his poster work but one certainly could not cover such a topic without mentioning his work. ,

Missy Ames Studio

The best is often saved for last. Missy Ames, from all the way in Rocky Mountains USA, perfectly captures the essence of the cities that her posters depict. She balances a romanticised and grounded view of urban landscape, ranging between varying degrees of abstractness in her work. Her Salzburg poster is one of the best examples of Neo-Vintage travel posters ever made, attaining perfect continuity with the golden age of the genre and yet distinctly unique. Her website is well worth a visit.

Niall Buckley

February, 2020