Pan Am - The Americas Map

This image conveys a great deal of information to the viewer. It shows a multitude of destinations in North and South America and shows how the Pan Am Airlines work with Grace Line and others to transport passengers to the various destinations. It is an indication of how much cooperation there was in the 1940’s among various modes of transportation to have travelers reach their goals. We see interesting depictions of natives in their local dress as a way of showing a highlight of that country. The image also contains the flags of the countries in the poster as they go around the outside edges of the poster.
The Flying Clipper Ships were the brainchild of Juan Trippe, founder of Pan American Airways, who conceived of a fleet of seaplanes for international commercial delivery. Trippe named the service after the famously fast China clipper ships of the 1860s. Through the Clipper fleet, Pan American became the world's dominant transoceanic airline, especially for carrying mail and other cargo, although on some routes there was also space for passengers. The fleet began in 1931 with routes between the U.S. and the Caribbean and South America, and expanded to flights across the Pacific after November 1935, which left from San Francisco.
Kenneth Webster Thompson was an American painter and illustrator, noted for his maritime scenes and landscapes, as well as illustrations for prominent periodicals and clients such as Coca Cola and Pan American Airways. Born in New York City, where he remained throughout his career, he studied at the Grand Central Art School and with George Pierce Ennis. He was a wartime illustrator for the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. and contributed illustrations to Life, Colliers, American, Look and other national magazines. Thompson exhibited in the American Watercolor Society and Society of Illustrators annuals, and at the Nantucket Artists Association, National Arts Club and Cerberus Gallery. He earned dozens of awards for his illustrations and was honored with a life membership in the Society of Illustrators.
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.