Come fly with me: Retro Aer Lingus travel posters

Vintage travel posters depict a time when air fares were beyond the means of ordinary people, and a trip to Dublin Airport was a holiday in itself (I hear it was a popular spot for a date back in the day!).

Judging by the number of people who land on a post I did about the two Aer Lingus Boeing 747s (it's the most viewed post ever on Mo Theach), there is a huge interest in the early days of what was once also known as Irish International Airlines.

CALENDAR GIRL: I bought this 1960 Irish Air Lines pocket calendar on eBay a while back. I love the red-haired air hostess. A real spéirbhean!

I like to keep an eye on eBay for old bits and pieces relating to the airline, such as the purchase above. The beautifully-designed travel advertisements of old always attract my attention and I picked up this vintage Aer Lingus poster at an exhibition a year or two ago at the National Museum at Collin's Barracks. This image was used in much of Aer Lingus' publicity materials and depicts the luxury and style associated with flying at the time. The fact that it's in French makes it seem even more exotic.

OOH LA LA LANDING SHORTLY: I picked up this Aer Lingus poster (circa 1960) believed to be the work of Jarlath Hayes (who designed the harp that is on Irish Euro coins) from the shop at the National Museum of Ireland, Collin's Barracks. It costs €8 and fits into off-the-shelf frames. 

Aer Lingus tapped into the nostalgia that surrounds their brand as they celebrated their 75th anniversary last year, painting a brand new Airbus A320 in the old Irish International Airlines livery. They also raided the wardrobes to show how the stewardess (and steward) uniforms have changed over the years.

RETRO JET: Aer Lingus painted this new Airbus A320 in the old white and dark green livery last year to celebrate their 75th anniversary. Image via JetPhotos.net

HIGH FASHION: With the beautiful old Dublin Airport terminal building in the background, air stewards model the cabin crew look though the years to mark Aer Lingus' 75th anniversary in 2011.
Image by Aer Lingus and via Airlines and Destinations

TAKE A TRIP BACK IN TIME: This nostalgia fest video features the highlights of Aer Lingus's 75-year history (JKF and Pope John Paul II are among the passengers), with lots of shots of those two 747s here! It's a bit like watching that old ESB 'Coming Home for Christmas' ad.

Here are some of my favourite old Aer Lingus posters (very few have modern reproductions, so you'll have to fork out for an original copy in many cases):

SKY'S THE LIMIT: This reprint of a New York-bound Aer Lingus poster is available from AllPosters.ie for €18.99.

TURBO-CHARGE: This poster is on the Onslows Posters website which is unfortunately down for maintenance at the moment so I don't have any further details. Image: Onslows Posters

POSTCARD PERFECT: Ireland looks particularly stunning in this poster, also from Onslows Posters.

LOTS OF LEG ROOM: This is one my all-time favourite adverts. An original poster (circa 1958) by John Banbridge costs £780 from OriginalTravelPosters.com.  Image via OriginalTravelPosters.com 

PRETTY CITY: Dublin's quays like you've never seen them before (I love the smoke coming from all the chimneys). This 1956 poster by Dutch artist Guus Melai did not meet with approval, according to archive research carried out by the Arts Council. Interesting read.

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN CALLING: Step aside, stewardesses! This handsome captain makes an appearance on a vintage poster sold in 2009 by Christie's.

STEP THIS WAY, SIR: Ease of travel is the message here, perhaps aimed at travellers coming from the UK, or the US.  Poster also from Onslows Posters.

MOUNTAIN AER: This original 1950 Aer Lingus poster by Negus Sharland advertising its routes to Zurich is for sale for approx €285 from PosterTeam.com

GATEWAY TO THE WORLD: This 1950 poster appears to show two Viscounts waiting at the original terminal building at Dublin Airport. Image via iCollector.com

There are lots more vintage Aer Lingus posters which I hope to share in another post soon!

Word play

Top of the most-read list on the Guardian's website today is Charlie Brooker's suggestions for New Year's resolutions. He writes: "These are the things I want humankind to stop doing immediately, on the grounds they've been doing them too long." First on his list is an appeal to stop creating 'Keep Calm and Carry On' variants.

WAR OF WORDS: An original copy of the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' poster at Barter Books,  Northumberland, England. Image via Wikipedia

The iconic WWII poster, aimed at motivating the British public during those dark days (according to Wikipedia it was intended to boost morale in the event of invasion), has found itself brought back to life from fridge magnets to undies and subverted into other catchphrases *inspired* by the original. Even Amazon sells a copy of the ubiquitous poster.

In his typically cynical and humorous piece, Brooker draws his readers' attention to the fact that the design belongs to a second-hand book shop in Alnwick, Northumberland, England, called Barter Books, where an original copy of the poster was discovered some years earlier.

"It belongs on a poster, or a mug, or a tea towel sold by Barter Books. But not on a packet of condoms or a soft drink. Or a cushion. Or engraved on your baby's face. Every bastard's churning out "Keep Calm" merchandise these days. Check your attic. Someone's probably up there screen printing it on to a hammock right now."

WHAT A CARRY ON: Unfunny variations on the 'Keep Calm and Carry On'  slogan. Image from All Posters.

But there has been one positive to this nostalgia-driven commercial-athon: the rise in interest in catchphrase and slogan-based designs.

Irish designers have created their own striking typography-driven posters which are original in their own right. Here's a selection of my favourites:

PRINTS CHARMING: This beautiful 'Come Here to Me' poster (approx €15.32 plus delivery) is one of many designs available at Irish Etsy shop FunkyGibbo

TEA-MENDOUS: Mrs. Doyle's cuppa catchphrase has never-ending appeal in this poster by Jane Steger-Lewis of I Love Mayo (€22 plus postage and packaging). It also fits nicely into IKEA's Virserum frame, which is handy.

AP-PEEL TO YOUR BETTER SENSES: A line uttered by many mammies over the years. Available on sale for €50 with free delivery from Grand Grand Grand Grand

BLESS SUCCESS: A classic Irish blessing is immortalised in this poster (from €9.95 plus postage and packaging, available in two sizes and three shades) by I Love Mayo

COP SHOP: This motivational poster (€20) from Grand Grand Grand Grand comes in the appropriately named Guard Blue shade.

A Luas connection?

Back in the days before electronic destination signs, bus, tram and train drivers had to yank the relevant placenames into view using blinds and scrolls.

Vintage transport signage (particularly those featuring London and New York boroughs) have become very popular in the interiors world in recent years, with many companies re-creating them and offering personalised options.

However, I had to laugh when I stumbled upon this offering from Etsy shop GoingUnderground (which produces subway art with beautiful typography at reasonable prices).

VIA WHERE? Dublin's Luas lines seem a lot more glamorous (and interconnected) in these beautifully produced posters. They measure 11" by 17" and cost approx €38 plus delivery for the set of three.
Photo: GoingUnderground on Etsy

Based in New York (and therefore too far away to know about the short-sightedness of previous transport planning in this country), I'm guessing that GoingUnderground don't realise our two Luas lines are not connected (unless you count the little man walking from one to the other in the official Luas map below).

The poster on the left features Red Line stations only (though in random order), while the middle and right have a mixture of both Green and Red Line stations.

Much as I'd like to get to Dundrum via James as per the poster on the right, I don't think that this will be an option for a very many number of years (the Luas BXD line is due to begin construction in 2015).

And as someone who uses the Red Line, I don't think I have any particular sentimental reason for wanting to be reminded of my local stops such as Suir Road, or indeed Balally on the Green Line. 

The two Luas lines opened in 2004 complete with electronic destination signs, so lack the historical aspect of the shop's other offerings, such as the gorgeous red posters below.

JOURNEY THROUGH TIME: I love some of the placenames on this scroll, particularly the first two on the poster on the left. A set of three San Francisco scrolls is also approx €38 plus delivery for the set of three.
Photo: GoingUnderground on Etsy

It would be a nice idea to re-create the scrolls of the long defunct Harcourt to Bray rail line. The destruction of this transport link in the 1950s was extremely short-sighted and it cost millions to rebuild sections of it for the Luas Green Line.

Buying 747

I have a fascination with airplanes and get childishly excited when I spot a majestic Boeing 747 on the tarmac (sadly none fly into Dublin Airport at present, with the exception of the US Air Force One last year). Apart from the Concorde, no other airliner is quite as striking.

I had the pleasure of being onboard a Virigin Atlantic 747 some years ago, but economy doesn't grant you a seat on the top deck.

This psychedelic Peter Max poster is one of the few old airline adverts featuring the plane that inspired the name 'jumbo jet'. Created in the early 1970s (the jet began flying at the start of the decade), it's pretty groovy. 

TAKE A TRIP: Pop artist Peter Max created this rather psychedelic ad for Pan Am in the 1970s

An original poster is on sale here for approx €1,911. Or you could buy a poster book from Etsy that contains 24 of his works including the Pan Am ad for approx €115 plus delivery. A few shops on eBay seem to sell it. I'd love to have one framed in white painted wood. For more on Pan Am artwork, see this very informative site.

Aer Lingus had two 747s at one point, the flagships of the fleet. Famous passengers included Pope John Paul II. 

LOVELY LIVERY: The mostly white painted 1960s body (which was given to a new Airbus A320 last year to commemorate Aer Lingus' 75th anniversary) gave way in 1974 to the green, blue and white that is so familiar today (albeit slightly different shades).

Image via Grey Pencils

HIGH FLIERS: This Aer Lingus Boeing 747 is pictured alongside a TWA 747 at JFK Airport in 1972, two years after the airline first took delivery of the airline. Image via Wings900.com

SKY'S THE LIMIT: The Boeing 747 at Boston Airport in 1988. Image via Wings900.com

Sadly, this former Aer Lingus Boeing 747 now gathers rust in this airplane graveyard.

PLANE SAD: Once the pinnacle of jet age glamour, St. Kieran, an Aer Lingus Boeing 747, lies gutted in a U.S. airplane junkyard.

Image copyright Andy Martin and via AirLiners.Net

There are lots of gorgeous retro shots of the 747s at Dublin Airport on longreach747400's Flickr stream which I won't publish here for fear of breaching copyright.

The latest addition to the 747 family is the Boeing 747-8, launched in 2005 and introduced last year. This Queen of the Skies is the biggest yet and can accommodate 467 passengers. Note the difference in the size of the upper deck as compared to the original 747. 

JET SET FOR GLORY: The new Boeing 747-8 on its first flight. Image via Engadget

I feel that the Boeing 747-8 is more of a looker than rival super-jet the Airbus A380.

SUPER-SIZED DOUBLE-DECKER: This photo showing the Airbus A380 crossing a road at Singapore Airport in 2005 demonstrates the sheer scale of the massive airliner.
Image copyright Andrew Hunt Air Team Images and via Airliners. net

Despite its beauty, the Boeing 747 does not seem to have appeared on much artwork that available today. I found these old stamps on Shutterstock, which I might print off and put into photo-sized frames.

AIR MAIL: A circa 1987 stamp celebrating the founding of Air Madagascar. Image: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com

FLOWERS AND ENGINE POWER: A Japanese stamp issued in 2005. Image: Bocman1973 / Shutterstock.com