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Pan American Airways was established in 1927. During the 1930s, the airline rapidly grew and developed a vast commercial network. To attract the few who could afford to fly at this time, the airline asked Paul George Lawler to create posters to promote its numerous international destinations. His evocative poster art incorporated notable landmarks in populated settings with dramatic landscapes. He included airliners flying over the locations, juxtaposing the technological triumph of the airplane with historical panoramas. In his dramatic depiction of Rio de Janeiro, Lawler placed a Sikorsky S-42 amphibian flying over the Christ the Redeemer monument with Sugarloaf Mountain in the background. Following the lead of the highly popular 1933 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film Flying Down to Rio, he attempted to draw in affluent American tourists, whose exposure to popular culture constituted their appeal as the target audience in the commercial aviation market. In his Peru poster, Lawler featured the ruins of Machu Picchu with figures watching a Douglas DC-2 airliner pass overhead. Although the air route did not actually cross at the site, his message was clear: come to Peru by air to see wonders of the Pre-Columbian world. See "Artists of the Airways: Airline Travel Posters from the SFO Museum Collection" on display in the Aviation Museum and Library. The Aviation Museum and Library is located pre-security, in the International Terminal. https://bit.ly/AirwaysArtists 📸: Pan American Airways Peru travel poster 1938 Paul George Lawler Collection of SFO Museum 2015.148.002 R2024.0601.001 https://bit.ly/4dUJsnb Pan American Airways Flying Down to Rio travel poster c. 1934 Paul George Lawler Collection of SFO Museum 2015.148.005 R2024.0601.003 https://bit.ly/4bDxKMg This image was posted on May 28, 2024.

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This post mentions the following things involved with the SFO Museum collection:

Pan American Airways. It is related to Pan American World Airways (the company) .