A quintessential piece of 1960s American airline poster art and one of the more appealing examples from United's long-running destination series. Stan Galli was one of the most prolific illustrators of the jet age, and his work for United Air Lines ranks among the finest American airline poster art of the period.
This one captures the Los Angeles dream with real confidence. A sun-bronzed blonde in cat-eye sunglasses, striped bikini, and a floral headscarf leans into the frame against a blazing yellow sky, palm silhouettes rising behind her. The textured, almost impressionistic background gives it a heat and vibrancy that flat graphic posters of the era simply don't have. It looks like a California afternoon feels.
United Air Lines destination posters from this period are consistently popular with collectors; they sit comfortably at the intersection of vintage airline ephemera, 1960s illustration art, and California nostalgia. Galli's figurative work in particular holds up exceptionally well, and the Los Angeles subject gives this broad appeal well beyond the airline poster category.