1960 Klein TWA Advertising Broadside

An iconic c. 1960 Trans World Airlines (TWA) New York City travel poster drawn by David Klein.

A Closer Look

The poster is a vibrant depiction of New York City, featuring landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Empire State Building, the Columbus Monument in Columbus Circle, and the Brooklyn Bridge, with a jet flying overhead. The words 'New York' at top are written in the distinctive title typeface of The New York Times. Klein, known for his iconic travel posters in the 1950s and 1960s, captured the essence of mid-20th-century air travel with this detailed artwork.

New York City, TWA, and the Jet Age

Although founded earlier (in 1930 as Transcontinental and Western Air), under the leadership of aviation legend Howard Hughes (1905 - 1976), Trans World Airlines became a household name. Having already built a reputable service between Los Angeles and New York City, soon after World War II, in February 1946, the airline established a regular New York - Paris passenger route. Initially relying on the propeller-driven, four-engine Lockheed Super Constellation, by the late 1950s, TWA had switched over to jet-engine aircraft, making them a somewhat late convert to the new technology (a costly mistake that resulted in Hughes losing control of the airline). Committing further to international flights from New York, between 1959 and 1962, TWA built the highly distinctive TWA Flight Center at New York's Idlewild Airport (later renamed JFK). The futuristic building became a symbol of air travel in the jet age (it recently was converted into a hotel, with a new Terminal 5 being built nearby). The company saw healthy profits in the early 1960s. It expanded to acquire Hilton Hotels, Century 21 Realty, and food service companies and added new destinations such as Hong Kong. However, like many established airlines, it faced headwinds from the 1970s onwards and eventually went bankrupt. It was sold to American Airlines in 2001.

Publication History and Census

This work was prepared by David Klein around 1960, one of a series of travel posters he made for TWA representing different U.S. cities and international destinations. Another seemingly more common and somewhat earlier Klein poster for TWA with the same text/title depicts Times Square at night. For this reason, a precise census is difficult to establish unless a catalog listing provides further detail.