Artist: Anonymous
Condition: B+ *
Dimensions: 25.2 x 39.8 in. / 64 x 101.1 cm.
Circa: 1950s
Linen Backed
* See Condition Grading section for further details
There is edge and corner wear, tears, creasing, crinkling, small losses, some of which have been restored, with the most noticeable defects being along the bottom left and right edges; there is a small stain spot a few inches above the "H" in "HAWAII;" some surface abrasions/smudges; despite its defects, this extremely rare midcentury airline travel poster should display nicely once framed.
A sun-drenched Northwest Orient Airlines poster capturing Hawaii through the lens of postwar leisure culture. A couple plays in the surf in the foreground, painted in the glossy, idealised style of mid-century magazine illustration, with surfers and a propeller aircraft visible in the distance. The bold blue banner and red script lettering anchor the composition. Very much a product of its era, the poster reflects the moment Hawaii entered the American imagination as an attainable paradise following statehood in 1959.