Three Chicago Travel Posters You’ll Love

Chicago by the Rapid Transit Line
Ervine Metzl, Chicago, 1924.

Two images from 1924 for Chicago Rapid Transit were intended to draw visitors to the city’s attractions: Ervine Metzl’s evening view of buildings obscured by trees, which is reminiscent of the Beggarstaff brothers’ cut-out collage style; and Willard Frederic Elmes’s unusually large poster depicting a statue of war hero and politician John Alexander Logan that sits in Grant Park.  

Chicago World's Fair 1933/ Century of Progress
Hernando G. Villa, Chicago World’s Fair 1933.

There are also five posters for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, which had the theme “A Century of Progress.” These include Weimer Pursell’s exceedingly rare Wings of a Century, whichwas designed to promote the Railroads on Parade pageant; Hernando G. Villa’s design featuring a male figure with a laurel wreath on his head, indicating that it may have been a repurposed image from the 1932 Olympic Games; and a poster of the popular Skyride attraction by an unknown artist.

Skyride / Sensational Rocket Ride Suspended in mid-air. Supreme Thrill of 1933
Unknown designer, Skyride, 1933.

Curious about Vintage Posters?

Read More about Travel Posters at Swann Galleries:

20 Years of Rare & Important Travel Posters at Swann

On Buying a Vintage Poster: What You Need to Know