"Texas. United Air Lines. Braniff International Airways" Vintage Travel Poster by Ted Coconis, Circa 1960s

Offered is a vintage travel poster from the 1960s, advertising Braniff International Airlines. The work depicts Texas as one of Braniff's alluring travel destinations. The side profile of a stylish, modern woman and a rugged cowboy smoking a cigarette predominate most of the composition, while the contrails of a small airplane underline the large text “Texas” at top. Famed illustrator Ted CoConis was the artist for this poster.

Braniff International Airways is an American airline that flew carrier operations between the years of 1928 and 1982. Today, the airline still operates as a retail, branding and licensing company. Braniff flew routes throughout the United States, linking with Central and South America, until later expanding to Asia and Europe in the 1970s. Posters such as this one were designed to encourage tourism and had a major impact on ticket sales.

Artist Ted CoConis was born in Chicago and studied at the Academy of Art. Following his brief service in the military, he worked in an art studio in San Francisco. He accepted his first freelance commission in the early 1950s and within ten years, CoConis moved to New York and established himself as one of the country’s top illustrators. His work has appeared in  publications from Good Housekeeping and Ladies’ Home Journal to Playboy and Cosmopolitan, as well as books, such as the 1971 Newbery Award-winning The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Cromer Byars and The Golden God: Apollo by Doris Gates.

CoConis also produced award-winning movie posters for such classics as Fiddler on the Roof, The Man of La Mancha, The Prime of Miss Jean Brody, Dorian Grey, Labyrinth, and Jim Henson's Muppet television specials. He also illustrated advertisements for cruise ships, iconic hotels, and airlines, as seen here. 

CoConis won numerous awards from the Society of Illustrator, the Art Directors’ Clubs of New York and Los Angeles, and other associations. His work is in the collections of The Society of Illustrators Museum of American Illustration, The Bishop Museum, and the Boca Raton Museum of Art, as well as in several other corporate and private collections.

CONDITION:

Very good condition. Linen backed. Paper is bright and healthy. Slight scuffs and very minor creases in the margins. Poster size: 25 ¾” H x 20" W. 

The poster is archivally framed with acid-free mats, UV plexiglas, and a custom-built black wooden frame.

Framed Dimensions: 31 1/8"H x 25 1/2"W x 1 3/8"D. 

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.