Air France - Super Constellation

Air France has always led the aviation world in innovation and has prided itself on boasting of this. This excellent poster was created by Lucien Boucher to promote their newest plane in their fleet, the Lockheed Super Constellation. This new plane had unheard-of refinements, such as air conditioning, reclining seats, and extra lavatories. It was a plane ahead of its time, at least twice as fuel efficient as the industry’s first jets and as efficient as many of today’s modern aircraft. Boucher has provided here a detailed illustration of not just the plane, but placed it atop an intricate map of all the global destinations Air France traveled to.

Air France was formed in 1933 through a merger of several smaller international companies. These smaller airlines had already built extensive networks across the world, and when combined under the Air France umbrella they created an exciting accessibility to fliers. Air France remains one of the most highly regarded international airlines, servicing 78 countries around the world. It served as France's primary national flag carrier for seven decades prior to its 2003 merger with KLM.

Posters have always been essential to Air France’s communications. It has one of the greatest collections in the world with over 1500 posters created by the most famous illustrators. Air France posters are usually striking, with few words, and depict destinations as dream-like and air travel as making dreams come true.

Lucien Boucher (1889-1971) was a French graphic designer and illustrator most known to collectors for his many beautiful Air France travel posters.Boucher got his start as a cartoonist for the French humor magazine, Le Rire before moving into product and cinema poster design. He experimented in Surrealism, as well as Art Deco in his early advertising.

Boucher's unique mid-century painting style combines his Art Deco influence and traditional painting to offer a fresh look for advertising. His body of work for Air France is well regarded by collectors as a leader in the mid-century style. Among these artworks are Boucher's series of "Planispheres," which depicted the ever-expanding travel routes of the Air France airline. He completed the series of Planispheres from 1934-1962, continually developing the imagery with a fresh approach.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed, and in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.