In the 1950s and 1960s, flying went from a marvel to a habit. One artist gave that change its colours.
The airline and the artist
Trans World Airlines, or TWA, flew from 1930 until American Airlines took it over in 2001. Howard Hughes took control of the company in 1939, and after the Second World War he pushed it well beyond American skies, towards Europe, the Middle East and Asia. TWA became, in effect, America's second flag carrier after Pan Am.
To sell those new destinations, TWA turned to David Klein (1918–2005). Klein began as a watercolourist, made posters for the US Army during the war, and afterwards built a reputation in New York designing window cards for Broadway shows and artwork for Hollywood films. Between roughly 1955 and 1965 he produced a celebrated series of destination posters for TWA that made his name.
The jet-age look
The posters share a language. A single, bold image stands for a whole place: a landmark, a symbol, a costume. Colours are saturated and flat, shapes are simplified almost to abstraction, and the lettering is clean and confident. Nothing is fussy. The message is that the world is now within reach, and it looks wonderful.
Look at the tagline on each poster and you can follow the story of aviation itself: "Fly TWA", then "Fly TWA Jets", then "Fly TWA Superjets", as the propeller age gave way to the jet age.
Klein's work was recognised at the time. In 1957 the Museum of Modern Art in New York added his TWA poster of Times Square to its permanent collection. In 2001, at the airline's end, Orbitz revived his images in an advertising campaign, and interest in his work grew again.
The posters
Rome
A c. 1960 lithograph that distils the city into one striking figure: a Swiss Guard in his striped Renaissance uniform, set against Rome's landmarks, the way Klein always did. It is a small, intimate size, and a good first Klein.
TWA, Rome, David Klein, c. 1960. Original. 40 × 63 cm, condition A, unbacked. Available.
New York
New York was TWA's home city and its transatlantic hub, so it was a natural subject, and Klein's vision of the city is electric and instantly recognisable. Our copy shows its age: before treatment it had tears and losses at the edges and corners, and foxing on the surface. It is currently being linen-backed, the conservation treatment that stabilises and flattens a fragile poster and restores its presentation.
TWA, New York, David Klein, c. 1960. Original. 63 × 102.5 cm. Currently in restoration (linen-backing). Available once the treatment is complete.
Boston
For Boston, Klein chose the Revolutionary War drum as his central motif, surrounded by the city's landmarks: the Old State House, the Old North Church, a tall ship and the Goddess of Liberty. It is history made vivid, and a fine example of his method: one strong symbol, then everything else arranged around it. This is the "Fly TWA Jets" edition.
TWA, Boston, David Klein, c. 1965. Original. 63 × 102.5 cm, condition B+, unbacked. Available.
Israel
Klein's poster for Israel puts one image at the centre: a monumental menorah, the seven-branched candelabrum that is one of the oldest symbols of Judaism and the official emblem of the State of Israel. It is rendered in his characteristic luminous palette against a vivid background.
It works on two levels. It speaks of ancient heritage, and, in the optimistic style of the period, of a young nation's energy. For travellers of the time, it promised a destination that was both very old and very new.
TWA, Israël, David Klein, c. 1960. Original. 65 × 101 cm, condition A, unbacked. Available.
Why originals matter here
Klein's designs have been reproduced widely, especially over the last two decades, so this is a field where the difference between an original and a later print really counts.
Klein's posters are sought after by collectors of both travel and aviation posters. They are also very easy to live with: strong graphics, striking colour, and a subject that suits a hallway, a study or a living room.
If you are looking for a particular destination in the series, tell us and we will search for it.
Browse all available posters →
Sources: Wikipedia, "David Klein (American artist)"; Antikbar, "David Klein and TWA: Travel Art of the Jet Age"; Stephanie Connell, notes on the TWA London poster.