Vintage ski posters are among the most joyful and visually spectacular works in the entire travel poster tradition. They capture the romance of winter sport at its most aspirational — crisp mountain air, pristine snow, the rush of the Alpine descent, the warm glow of the après-ski chalet — in images of extraordinary graphic beauty. Produced from roughly 1910 through the 1970s for Swiss, Austrian, French, and American resorts, the finest vintage ski posters are masterpieces of Art Deco and mid-century graphic design, and the market for authenticated originals is active and sophisticated.
The History of the Ski Poster
Skiing as a recreational activity emerged in Scandinavia in the 19th century and spread rapidly to the Alps in the early 1900s. The Swiss and Austrian railways — and, soon, dedicated mountain railway and cable car companies — quickly recognized skiing’s tourist potential and began commissioning posters to promote their winter resorts. The earliest ski posters date from around 1905–1910; by the 1920s and 1930s, the winter sports poster had become a sophisticated art form in its own right, with major artists competing for the prestige commissions of the leading Alpine resorts.
The Art Deco period (roughly 1920–1940) produced the greatest ski posters. The geometric clarity and bold color contrasts of Art Deco were perfectly suited to the clean, high-contrast visual world of the Alpine winter — the white of the snow, the blue of the sky, the vivid colors of ski clothing — and the major poster artists of the era responded with works of exceptional beauty and lasting graphic power.
Major Artists of the Ski Poster
Roger Broders (1883–1953) produced some of the finest ski resort posters of the Art Deco period for the PLM railway’s Alpine destinations. His characteristic bold color areas, geometric compositions, and sense of physical dynamism made him the ideal artist for the winter sports genre. His posters for Chamonix, Megève, and the French Alps are among the most celebrated works in the category.
Eric Hermes produced a magnificent series of Swiss winter resort posters, including the gallery’s Montana Nouveau Ski-Lift (1935) — a large-format work (approximately 25 × 40 inches) that demonstrates the Art Deco ski poster at its most assured: bold silhouetted figures against a vivid color sky, the ski-lift cables providing strong geometric structure to the composition.
German and Austrian artists contributed a distinct sensibility to the ski poster — more Expressionist in color and more dynamic in figure treatment. Carl Kunst’s Bilgeri ski equipment advertising poster (1912) is an extraordinarily early example of the genre in the gallery’s collection.
American Ski Posters
American ski resort posters — for resorts including Dartmouth, Stowe, Sun Valley, and Aspen — developed a distinct character from the 1930s onward. The Dartmouth Winter Carnival poster series is among the most celebrated American ski poster traditions. American airline ski posters — United Air Lines’ Ski USA series and Delta’s Ski Delta campaign — brought the mid-century airline poster vocabulary to the winter sports genre in the 1960s and 1970s.
What to Look for When Collecting Ski Posters
The most collectible ski posters are large-format Art Deco works by named artists for prestigious Alpine resorts — Broders, Hermes, and their peers. Subject, destination, condition, and artist all contribute to value. Swiss resort posters (St. Moritz, Davos, Zermatt, Wengen) command the highest premiums in the category. French Alpine posters — Chamonix, Megève, Grenoble — are equally sought after. American ski posters offer a more accessible entry point, with strong demand from American collectors for works representing specific resorts and regions.
Browse the full travel poster collection to see the range of winter sports works currently available, and the Art Deco collection for the broader context of ski poster design.
How to Know It’s an Original
Ski poster reproductions are common — particularly for the most famous St. Moritz and Chamonix images. Authentication requires the same discipline as any other vintage poster category: examine the printing process under magnification (genuine originals show lithographic grain, not a halftone dot pattern), check for printer’s imprints, assess the paper stock and aging, and purchase from a specialist dealer with verifiable IVPDA credentials.
Elie Saporta, co-founder of La Belle Époque and former chair of the IVPDA authentication committee, applies four decades of expertise to every ski poster acquisition. Every work in our collection has been assessed against these standards.
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.
Browse the Ski Poster Collection
Authenticated vintage ski and winter resort posters are available at every price level. Browse the full travel collection or visit the gallery in the West Village for a personal consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
When were vintage ski posters made?
The vintage ski poster tradition runs from approximately 1905 to the 1970s, with the Art Deco period (roughly 1920–1940) generally considered the golden age. Swiss, Austrian, French, and later American resorts commissioned the finest work during this period.
What makes a ski poster valuable?
Artist, destination, condition, rarity, and verified authenticity all contribute to value. Large-format Art Deco works by named artists (Broders, Hermes) for prestigious Alpine resorts command the highest premiums. American ski posters and smaller-format works offer more accessible entry points.
How do I authenticate a vintage ski poster?
Examine the printing process under magnification, check for printer’s imprints, assess the paper stock and aging, and purchase from a specialist dealer with IVPDA credentials. The market contains a significant volume of reproductions, particularly for the most famous Alpine resort images.