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As soon as the first balloons floated above admiring audiences, poster artists began developing the genre of the aviation poster. Throughout the 20th century, aviation advocates monitored the public’s ever-growing knowledge of aviation. In turn, poster artists deftly translated this information into images that convinced more people to use their disposable income on flying.

Fly Now! Aviation Posters from the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum showcases posters from 1827 to the present, representing countries from North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The history of advertising, technology, business, transportation, tourism, and cultural geography inform the exhibition, providing a unique approach to aviation history. The 40 posters featured in the exhibition are high-quality digital reproductions from the Aviation Poster Collection at the National Air and Space Museum, curated by Joanne Gernstein London, Ph.D.

Late 19th-century posters hawked aviation as a spectator sport, featuring balloons, air show pilots, and exotic performers. By the 1920s, posters highlighted the dynamic interaction between people and technology characteristic of commercial air travel. Later, in the imagery of late 1930s airline posters, speed, “winning time,” and unprecedented views were prevalent themes. After World War II, poster artists featured destinations rather than airplanes themselves to sell air travel, though the introduction of new aircraft often reintroduced advertising methods more common before the war.

The beautiful posters in Fly Now! are not only noteworthy artifacts of aviation history and of the 20th century, but they tell stories about how we traveled, thought about distance and technology, and viewed our place in the world.