BA100: 76. The Art Of The Poster

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British Airways 100 Years Of Aviation Posters (Image Credit: Amberley Publishing) — BOAC / Imperial Airways Aviation Posters (Image Credit: British Airways)

Welcome to our 100 part series on the history of BA and its predecessor airlines.

In the early days of commercial aviation, long before television advertising (let alone digital) took hold the principal means by which airlines advertised their services was the poster.

American Airlines, Braniff International Airways, Pan American World Airways, Swissair, Trans World Airways, United Airlines and many others all used the medium to great effect.

This was not only to sell the relatively new and glamorous idea of flying to a small constituency of wealthy travellers, but also their respective fleets and route networks, to passengers in their home markets and around the world. They use a variety of techniques from painting, to illustration and modernist graphic design.

In an era where there is an endless stream of digital content which can often prove to be ephemeral, so much so it’s easy to just glaze over it all, these posters have endured.