Vintage travel posters are among the most beloved objects in the history of graphic design. They evoke a world of effortless elegance — ocean liners and locomotive compartments, Alpine resorts and Mediterranean harbors, cities that shimmer with possibility. They were produced in their millions between roughly 1890 and 1970, covering every railway platform, steamship terminal, and airline office in the developed world. And the finest of them — the authenticated originals produced by the great commercial artists of the Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and mid-century periods — are extraordinary works of art that reward collecting with the same seriousness as any other graphic art form.
This guide covers the history of the travel poster, the major artists and publishers, how to assess quality and authenticity, and what to look for when building a collection. All inventory references are drawn from La Belle Époque’s authenticated travel poster collection.
The History of the Vintage Travel Poster
The travel poster as a distinct genre emerged in the 1890s, driven by two forces: the rapid expansion of the European railway network and the commercial printing revolution that made large-format color lithography economically viable. The railway companies — PLM (Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée), SNCF, Chemins de Fer du Nord, GWR, LNER — were among the most sophisticated and adventurous commissioners of commercial art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They hired the best available artists, gave them genuine creative freedom, and produced poster campaigns of lasting aesthetic significance.
The golden age of the travel poster ran from roughly 1895 to 1940. In this period, the great railway and shipping companies of France, Britain, Switzerland, Italy, and the United States produced work by artists including Roger Broders, Cassandre, Loupot, McKnight Kauffer, Tom Purvis, and dozens of others. The emergence of commercial aviation in the 1930s added a new dimension — the great airline poster campaigns of Air France, Pan American, TWA, and BOAC extended the tradition into the 1950s and 1960s.
The Great Travel Poster Artists
Roger Broders (1883–1953) is perhaps the greatest specialist in the travel poster genre. His work for the PLM railway company in the 1920s — depicting the resorts of the French Riviera, the French Alps, and the Mediterranean coast — combines Art Deco’s graphic clarity with an extraordinary gift for evoking the specific quality of light and leisure that characterized the destinations he depicted. His style is immediately recognizable: bold, flat color areas, strong geometric compositions, and an economy of means that delivers maximum visual impact.
A.M. Cassandre applied his architecturally rigorous approach to the travel poster with results that have never been equaled — his railway posters for Étoile du Nord and Nord Express are canonical works. See our Cassandre collection for authenticated originals.
David Klein transformed the airline travel poster in the 1950s and 1960s with his extraordinary TWA series — vivid, expressionistic interpretations of global destinations (Rome, Paris, New York, Las Vegas, Egypt) that brought a painterly energy to the airline advertising format. The site already ranks for David Klein posters, and the gallery’s David Klein collection is among the most comprehensive available.
Jules Chéret produced some of the earliest and most beautiful travel posters — his L’Hiver à Nice (1890) is the canonical Belle Époque travel poster.
Major Destinations and Subject Categories
The vintage travel poster tradition covers an extraordinary range of destinations and transport modes. French Riviera and Mediterranean resort posters (Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo, Menton) form the most celebrated category, driven by the PLM railway’s commissions of the 1910s and 1920s. Alpine ski resort posters — for Switzerland, the French Alps, and Austria — are among the most decoratively appealing works in the genre. Railway posters for the American West, the British seaside, and Scandinavian destinations add further geographic diversity.
Airline posters of the 1950s and 1960s — TWA, Pan Am, Air France, BOAC, KLM — are among the most actively collected today, driven by their strong mid-century graphic design vocabulary and the nostalgia they evoke for a lost era of glamorous air travel. Browse the full travel poster collection and the mid-century collection for the breadth of this tradition.
What Makes a Great Travel Poster?
The finest travel posters share certain qualities: a strong, instantly readable composition; a color palette that evokes the specific character of the destination; and a graphic economy that communicates its message in a single visual beat. The best work in the genre also has a quality of aspiration — it doesn’t merely describe a place but makes you want to be there. This emotional dimension, achieved through purely graphic means, is what separates the great travel poster from the merely competent.
How to Know It’s an Original
The travel poster market contains a significant volume of reproductions — from modern inkjet prints to sophisticated photomechanical facsimiles marketed as “vintage.” The authentication principles are consistent across the genre. Genuine originals from the Belle Époque and Art Deco periods were produced by chromolithography; those from the mid-century period by chromolithography, photolithography, or screen printing. Under magnification, a genuine original shows the characteristic grain of its period printing process — not the uniform halftone dot pattern of a modern reproduction.
Printer’s imprints are critical. French travel posters of the Belle Époque and Art Deco periods were printed by specific Paris ateliers (Chaix, Malherbe, Devambez, Alliance Graphique); British railway posters by specific London and provincial printers. The presence and legibility of the correct printer’s imprint, in the correct format, is a necessary condition of authenticity for most major works.
Elie Saporta, co-founder of La Belle Époque and former chair of the IVPDA authentication committee, applies four decades of expertise to every travel poster acquisition. Every work in our collection has been assessed against these standards before it enters inventory.
About the author: Elie Saporta is the co-founder of La Belle Époque Vintage Posters (est. 1985, New York) and a former chair of the IVPDA authentication committee.
Build Your Travel Poster Collection
Authenticated vintage travel posters are available at every price level — from accessible entry-level works to rare masterpieces by Broders, Cassandre, and Klein. Browse the full travel poster collection or visit our West Village gallery for a personal consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a vintage travel poster?
A vintage travel poster is an original commercial lithographic poster produced to advertise a destination, transport service, or resort — typically between roughly 1890 and 1970. The finest examples were produced by major commercial artists working for railway companies, shipping lines, and airlines, and represent some of the greatest achievements of graphic design in the 20th century.
Are vintage travel posters valuable?
Yes, significantly so. The most valuable examples — major works by Cassandre, Broders, David Klein, and other celebrated artists — command five-figure prices at auction. Entry-level works by lesser-known artists can be found for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Condition, rarity, subject, artist, and — above all — verified authenticity drive value.
How do I know if a travel poster is an original?
Examine the printing process under magnification: genuine originals show the characteristic grain of their period printing process, not a halftone dot pattern. Check for the printer’s imprint. Assess the paper stock and aging. Purchase from a specialist dealer with verifiable IVPDA credentials — the most reliable protection against reproductions and fakes.
What are the most collectible vintage travel posters?
The most collectible categories include French Riviera railway posters (especially PLM works by Broders), Cassandre’s railway and ocean liner posters, TWA airline posters by David Klein, Swiss ski resort posters, and classic Belle Époque travel works by Chéret. Subject, artist, condition, and rarity all contribute to collectibility.