See the Golden Age Of Travel Come to Life With These Vintage Posters

Perfect posters

America's jaw-dropping natural wonders, big-name hotels and fabulous cities need little advertising – but these pretty promotional posters put the USA's beauty on paper. From vibrant airline artworks to plugs for treasure-filled national parks, these are 30 of the most beautiful American travel adverts.

Sailing the seas

This advertising poster for United State Lines – a historic American shipping company – is straight to the point, showing off the grandeur of the SS Leviathan passenger vessel. Leviathan served as a troopship in the First World War, and she's pictured here as passengers board at Southampton.

Yellowstone's natural wonders

Few images of Yellowstone National Park are more iconic than the waters of Old Faithful geyser soaring into the sky, and this ad looks almost more like a fine art piece than a promotional poster. The beautiful imagery was used by Northern Pacific Railway to push rail routes to the historic national park.

Grand Canyon landscapes

The mighty Grand Canyon could easily do without promo posters – the drama of those burnt red rocks sells itself. But this advert from the National Park Service and the US Department of the Interior is captivating nonetheless. The poster dates to the 1930s and shows the canyon's Mars-like landscape capped by clouds. 

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A landmark Big Apple hotel

The Big Apple is packed tight with glamorous hotels, from Beaux-Arts masterpieces to Art Deco marvels. This elegant 1930s ad celebrates the Ritz Tower, built on New York's Park Avenue in the 1920s. The poster praises the impeccable architecture, incredible home comforts and quality service.

See Glacier National Park

Established in the 1930s, the United States Travel Bureau was tasked with promoting tourism in America. One way it did this was by drawing up gorgeous travel adverts depicting America's backyard. Here Chief Mountain rises up majestically at the edge of Montana's Glacier National Park.

Into America's caves

America's natural beauty is captured again in this advert from the United States Travel Bureau. "See America" is the call as awestruck travelers gaze upon the ice-colored stalactites in a sprawling cave system. The poster dates back to the 1930s. 

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Railroading in the Southwest

Bryce Canyon National Park is the star of this railroad advert and its fiery pinnacles look mighty fine against a vivid blue sky. The poster promotes a journey with the Chicago and North Western Railway Company that joins up three of America's most spectacular national parks: Bryce Canyon, Zion and the Grand Canyon. 

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Luxurious scenes at the Miami Biltmore

Miami's sumptuous Biltmore Hotel was built in the Roaring Twenties and it's captured in all its luxurious glory in this advert from the 1930s. The poster's centerpiece is a golfer teeing off before a crowd, but the real jewel is the hotel itself. It makes a beautiful backdrop, with its striking tower (inspired by La Giralda in Seville) rising up behind the scene.

Coastal views in Acadia National Park

The US Department of the Interior has put out hundreds of promotional posters over the decades, celebrating America's incredible wildernesses and natural wonders. Here the spotlight is on Acadia National Park, with the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse brooding on rocky shores. 

See more of America's most beautiful lighthouses here

Dall sheep in Denali

Another stunning offering from the US Department of the Interior, this advert showcases Denali National Park, then known as Mount McKinley. A Dall sheep drinks in the view as the mammoth peak of Denali rises behind him. The poster invites travelers to "visit North America's highest mountain". 

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The "Vacation City"

Chicago is dubbed the "Vacation City" in this advert from the Illinois Central Railroad Company. You can almost feel the buzz of Lake Michigan's sandy shores, which are studded with vacationers and hugged by soaring skyscrapers.

Braniff International Airways and the Lone Star State

Operating from the late 1920s until the 1980s, Braniff International Airways served the USA, plus parts of South and Central America. Texas was one of the airline's major hubs and here the Lone Star State is represented with cowboy boots, a Stetson hat and a captivating cityscape rising in the background.

Fiery wonders in Hawaii

This moody poster advertises what is now Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It shows the earth cracked with lava and the sky blazing orange as travelers look on from the rim of the burning Halemaʻumaʻu crater – "home of the fire goddess Pele". The poster also promotes hikes across the volcanic terrain and naturalist-led activities. 

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Volcanic treasures in California

From one volcanic wonderland to another: this US Department of the Interior advert promotes the bubbling expanse of Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. The focal point is Lassen Peak, which can be seen erupting in the background, fronted by fir trees and a still lake. The ad promotes hikes, lectures and campfire programs in the park too.

A stay at Disneyland

Where better to stay than "The Happiest Place On Earth"? This simple advert promotes California's Disneyland Hotel, originally opened in 1955. It shows off the hotel pool, parking spaces and gardens, while Disney's glittering attractions, including Sleeping Beauty Castle, can be seen overhead.

See more historic images of Disney's parks here

A Tomorrowland attraction

California's Disneyland has endless attractions and that means endless fun promotional posters hyping up the best of what the park has to offer. This one harks from 1956 and promotes a historic Tomorrowland attraction, popular in the Fifties and Sixties. It was a walk-through display of props and memorabilia from the film 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and included a mechanical giant squid. 

A snapshot of the Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is famed for its vivid blue and green landscapes – think verdant forests and sapphire glacial lakes under a baby-blue sky. This United Airlines poster captures the region's essence perfectly. Vacationers sail a vast lake that's backed with rolling hills and a snow-crowned mountain.

A home from "coast to coast"

The Holiday Inn looks mighty inviting in this retro ad from 1957. The chain was established as a string of motels back in the Fifties and it soon burgeoned across America and eventually beyond. The brand is advertised here in the early days with a bright sign and the welcoming slogan "your host from coast to coast". 

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Pan Am and the Aloha State

Pan American Airways was once America's star airline, an aviation heavyweight from the Twenties right up until it collapsed in 1991. The carrier whisked passengers to all corners of the globe in its famous "clipper" planes and here it advertises its Hawaii routes. A female hula dancer is depicted in traditional dress, including a grass skirt. 

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TWA and the City by the Bay

San Francisco's cityscape turns heads in this vivid advert. It's the work of Trans World Airlines (TWA), a major American airline that operated from the 1930s right up until the early Noughties, when it eventually came under the American Airlines brand. This poster dates to the airline's 1950s heyday and the bold design, dominated by the Golden Gate Bridge, was created by American artist David Klein. 

TWA and the City of Angels

TWA captures another glorious Golden State city here. This time it's promoting Los Angeles routes, with a TWA plane soaring above a classic Californian scene. Notice the golden skies, champagne sands and swaying palms, plus the striking Spanish mission. The poster dates to the 1950s. 

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On the road in Sin City

This buzzy ad doubles as a promotion for car-rental company Hertz and the glitzy resorts of Sin City. Pictured is the renowned Desert Inn, on the Las Vegas Strip, with well-heeled vacationers flocking around a smart rental car. The ad waxes lyrical about the hotel, hailing its 'Olympic-sized' pool and its 270 beautiful acres. 

Discover the incredible story of Las Vegas here

American Airlines and the Windy City

Lake Michigan is the focus of this sleek advert by American Airlines, which dates to the 1950s. The poster lets the pictures do the talking, with bold white sailboats bobbing before Chicago's legendary skyscrapers.

Flying into the Big Apple

Dating to the 1950s, this airline ad offers a striking depiction of New York City. It's a promotion for Northwest Airlines, an American airline with a near 100-year-old history that was absorbed into Delta in the late Noughties. Here the Big Apple's cityscape is a delicate white silhouette presided over by Lady Liberty.

Chugging through Disneyland

This 1980s Disney advert oozes nostalgia. It promotes the Disneyland Railroad (once the Santa Fe and Disneyland Railroad), which is tipped as one of Walt Disney's own favorite attractions. The train rattles across the park, passing through lands including Old West-themed Frontierland. This eye-catching poster shows off the jolly red locomotive with a frame of pretty greenery and red pinnacles rising in the background.

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Sights in the Silver State

Nevada's imposing Hoover Dam was finished in the 1930s and its sheer scale and engineering ingenuity has wowed travelers ever since. Lake Mead is the dam's sprawling reservoir. Here the pair are advertised as a destination on the Union Pacific Railroad – the possibility of swimming, boating and fishing in stunning Lake Mead is used to entice travelers.

Bright lights of Sin City

Sin City is another Union Pacific destination. In this railroad ad, Las Vegas calls with its glittering neon signs rising from lavish hotels and casinos. The smart yellow Union Pacific train is a sight in itself too.

Soaring over Yosemite

United Airlines remains one of America's top carriers – and this vintage ad from the airline shows off one of the country's finest national parks too. The peaks rise up beneath rolling clouds as hikers gaze over the Yosemite Valley. A United Airlines plane glides above the scene.

Adventures in California

This vintage ad from the Union Pacific Railroad will have you dreaming of a Californian escape. The retro poster sees one of the Union Pacific Railroad's signature yellow trains join some of the Golden State's bucket-list sights. Soaring sequoia trees and Santa Catalina Island sit alongside the Golden Gate Bridge and Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. 

A Coney Island carnival

The heady spirit of Coney Island is captured in this fun advert from the late 19th century. It's promoting The Great Coney Island Water Carnival, hosted by the Barnum & Bailey Circus company, and you can spot wading clowns, soaring divers and even boxers making a splash. Coney Island's iconic amusements rise behind the chaos. 

Now take a look at the world's most beautiful travel posters