1947 Air France Reseau Aerien Mondial
By: Lucien Boucher
Date: 1947 (dated) Paris
Dimensions: 21.25 x 35.25 inches (54 x 90 cm)
This brightly colored vintage poster-map was printed by the French government to promote its national airline, Air France, in the government’s attempts to rebuild the French economy in the years following the disastrous consequences of WWII.
Air France posters are renowned among collectors and highly sought after. This poster illustrates the airline’s services to various international destinations. Each destination is designated by easily recognizable illustrations of widely-known landmarks of that country, or other stereotypical images by which the destination country would be identified.
This is one of Lucian Boucher's more iconic surrealistic map images, a scarce large format edition of his 1947 pictorial map of the world showing the routes of Air France. Boucher started producing maps for Air France as early as 1933. Boucher's work for Air France is considered an embodiment of the golden age of air travel. The present example illustrates the Americas with stylized indigenous American Indians, Australia with ostriches and Asia with exotic Garuda barges, tigers, and temples.
Condition: This brightly colored linen-backed poster is in B condition with some vertical creases and minor paper loss within the map that were professionally repaired and are faintly visible.
Inventory #11104
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