1958 Air France France-Africa Dunlop Route Maps
DESCRIPTION
A visually spectacular record of postwar French aviation and empire, this Air France route map transforms Africa into a vast aerial crossroads, illustrating the airline's network from Paris to North, West, Central, and East Africa through one of the most decorative airline maps of the era.
Air France Across Africa
Bold red route lines radiate southward from Paris through Marseille and across the Mediterranean to major cities and colonial capitals including Dakar, Abidjan, Brazzaville, Fort-Lamy, Nairobi, Tananarive, Diego Suarez, and Johannesburg. The continent is enlivened by hundreds of small illustrations depicting mountains, deserts, ports, wildlife, villages, monuments, and regional industries. Ships, aircraft, and ocean liners surrounding the continent reinforce the sense of a rapidly shrinking world connected by modern transportation, while numerous advertisements integrated into the design reflect the commercial culture that accompanied international air travel.
The map was issued as part of Air France's "Cartes Itinéraires Dunlop" series and reflects the airline's rapid postwar expansion across Africa. By the late 1950s, Air France had developed one of the world's largest international route networks, linking metropolitan France with colonial territories, commercial centers, and emerging international destinations throughout the continent and the Indian Ocean.
A Snapshot of Colonial Africa
Beyond its aviation significance, the map preserves the political geography of Africa on the eve of decolonization. Colonial entities such as A.O.F., A.E.F., Congo Belge, Northern and Southern Rhodesia, and the Union of South Africa appear throughout, alongside many place names later changed after independence, including Fort-Lamy, Tananarive, and Diego Suarez. The reverse features detailed strip maps of each route segment together with advertisements for hotels, restaurants, financial services, pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, and Dunlop aviation tires, creating a remarkable snapshot of French commercial, cultural, and transportation networks across Africa during the late 1950s.
CONDITION
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