This week, as I plan my little mini vacation to California, I am newly inspired by my collection of Vintage Travel Posters that I've saved to my computer over the years. From what I can tell, these seem to be authentic, ranging from the 1930's to the 1960's in their conception. But I don't claim to be an expert about these things so if you know one to be a modern tribute to the style, I'd be interested in knowing.
Travel Posters used to be the chief way that travel agencies drew attention to exotic destinations, long before the invention of television and the internet. The average Joe would walk by an agency on a rainy day in the city and dream of endless sunshine and suntanned bikinis, never realizing that this deadly combination would soon be considered irresponsible advertising. California was the ideal location for dreaming, and it was the place where the 'beautiful people' lived, especially after WWI. So California relied heavily on its tourist trade as a lucrative source of income for the state.
The use of bright colors and whimsical art contributed to the success of the poster and it's ability to draw attention.
My favorites are the ones featuring the bay area and wine country. I'm most drawn to the desert heat of southern California but I think the northern regions provide a more aesthetically pleasing subject matter, when it comes to poster art.
Bathing Beauties of every decade graced the posters advertising the beaches, as if to say: "Yes, the beaches are nice but we know what you really want to see."
Sunsets over water were largely highlighted in the use of color, since the hues of these particular sunsets weren't the same over land and therefore the rest of the country viewed them as almost 'fantastical' in nature.
Southern California advertising almost always involved a female, to some extent.
Surfing became a hugely popular draw as well, especially in the 1950's.
United Airlines had a large number of travel posters highlighting its most popular destination. This one is my favorite:
And last, but not least, my all time favorite travel poster. Not vintage. Not California. But nevertheless...genius:
Anyway, back to packing! Hopefully I'll be able to shoot some video footage for you all with my sister-friend Lu, this weekend.
Til Then,
So long, Dearies!
xoxo,
Ashley
