Fly Twa - Arizona

This vintage poster , created by Austin Briggs, advertises travel to Arizona by way of TWA. The image suggests that there are cacti and mountains to be seen as well as cowgirls. 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 aircraft. In the 1960s it owned the fastest commercial aircraft, the Lockheed Constallation ("Connie"), seen at the top of this poster, recognizable by its four engines. The plane was a common visual element in many of the company's posters. Austin Briggs (1908-1973) was a commercial artist who created a number of travel posters in the 1950's -1960's. He also painted many product advertisements for magazines in the mid-century. Briggs was an accomplished cartoonist who worked on the Flash Gordon syndicated comic strip succeeding creator, Alex Raymond. Along with Norman Rockwell, Briggs was a founder of the Famous Artists School, a correspondence course institute. In 1969, Briggs was inducted into the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame. 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.