Fly TWA – The Orient

David Klein
c1955
linen backed poster
25 x 39.5 in. (63.5 x 100 cm.)

Provenance: Distinguished private collection, New York

TWA (Trans World Airlines) was formed in 1924 as Transcontinental & Western Air. The airline’s first route was New York to Los Angeles, soon followed by multiple National routes. The airline expanded to serve Europe, the Middle East and Asia after WWII when the company was under the control of Howard Hughes, owner from 1939 until 1961. Hughes was a dominant force in expanding and promoting the routes flown by his company. The economy was vastly improving, and travels through air for business and pleasure increased too. Posters were a key element to promoting this form of travel and TWA. The airline started a decline in the 1970s that ended up in a third bankruptcy that caused their acquisition by American Airlines in 2001. The airline operated in 132 destinations worldwide and had a fleet size of 190.

David Klein was a noted poster designer whose body of work was prominent in the advertisements for TWA. In this 1950’S design, we see the suggestion of the mystique of the destinations in the Orient. This poster was part of an extensive series by TWA to promote tourist travel in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed, and in excellent condition.