Vintage Travel Posters: History, Style and How to Hang Them
Updated 29 October 2026
A vintage travel poster is an illustrated advert for a place, drawn in the style railway and shipping companies once used to sell holidays: flat blocks of colour, one famous view and the destination's name in big letters. Today the look lives on in new vintage travel poster prints that you can hang on their own or group into a wall of places you love.
Travel posters were designed to be read from across a busy station, which is exactly why they still hold a room so well. This guide covers where the style came from, how to recognise it, and how to choose, size and hang your own.
In short
- Lithography, the printing method behind the first big colour posters, was invented in 1796.
- In 1908 John Hassall was paid 12 guineas for "Skegness is so bracing", one of Britain's best-known railway posters.
- Our travel posters come in sizes from A5 to A0 and 8x10 to 30x40 inches, or as a digital file.
- Every poster is printed to order in 1–3 working days.
- Delivery is free worldwide: then 2–4 working days in the UK (standard) or 2–5 worldwide.
Where did vintage travel posters come from?
Posters became a mass medium thanks to lithography, a printing process invented in 1796 by the German Alois Senefelder, which made large colourful images practical to print. Railway companies soon became some of the keenest customers. In Britain they first advertised their routes on plain printed sheets, but by the 1850s, with more competition and better printing, pictures started to appear.
In 1905 the London and North Western Railway commissioned the artist Norman Wilkinson to paint a landscape poster for its rail and steamer service to Ireland. Three years later, John Hassall drew a fisherman skipping along the sand for the Great Northern Railway, under the line "Skegness is so bracing". He was paid 12 guineas, and the Jolly Fisherman is still the town's mascot today.
Across the Channel, Roger Broders made posters for the Paris–Lyon–Méditerranée railway, best known for the beaches of the Côte d'Azur and the ski resorts of the French Alps, drawn with simple lines and bold, flat areas of colour. A. M. Cassandre became famous for Art Deco posters such as Étoile du Nord and Nord Express (both 1927) and Normandie (1935). Back in Britain, the London and North Eastern Railway, which ran from 1923 to 1948, hired poster artists such as Tom Purvis to promote east coast holidays and adopted the Gill Sans typeface, later taken up by British Railways.
What makes a travel poster look vintage?
You can spot the style from across a room. Most vintage travel posters share a handful of traits:
- Flat colour. Large areas of a single colour, with very little shading.
- One hero view. A landmark, harbour or mountain, often seen from above or framed by a balcony.
- Big lettering. The place name runs across the top or bottom, sometimes with the country underneath.
- A sunny, limited palette. Warm skies, deep sea blues and terracotta roofs.
- Simplified detail. Buildings become clean shapes rather than photographic copies.
Our travel posters are new designs made in that tradition rather than reprints of old adverts. The Rome travel poster looks out over the Colosseum and a great dome from a flower-filled terrace above the river, with ROME and ITALY lettered across the sky. The Florence poster gives the cathedral dome and the bridges over the Arno the same warm, sunlit treatment.
Which vintage travel poster should you choose?
Start with a place, not a colour scheme. The posters people keep for years usually mark something personal:
- A trip you loved. The city of your honeymoon, a first holiday together or a gap-year stop.
- Somewhere that shaped you. The town you grew up in or where your family comes from.
- The next adventure. A destination you are saving for, hung where you see it every day.
If you are torn, look at what other people pick. Our best-selling travel posters at the moment include Verona, Rome and Florence, so an Italian trio is an easy place to start. For a cooler palette, the Porto retro travel poster pairs deep blues with a sunny yellow sky above the river.
Tip: plan a group by colour
Pick two or three colours that repeat across every poster, such as sea blue and terracotta. Different places then read as one collection instead of a random mix.
What size vintage travel poster works best?
Size depends on the spot. This quick guide follows the size advice on our product pages:
| Where it will hang | Size to consider | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shelf, desk or narrow wall | A3 or 12x16 in | Big enough to read the lettering without crowding a small space |
| Above a sofa or bed | A2 or 18x24 in | Works as a single poster over a piece of furniture |
| Large empty wall | A1, A0 or 24x36 in and up | Fills a big wall on its own |
| Gallery of 3–6 posters | All A3, or A3 mixed with A4 | A sizes share one shape, so they line up neatly |
| Hallway or stairs | A3 or A2 in a row | A run of places reads like a journey as you walk past |
Every A size has the same proportions, each one twice the area of the size below, so a poster keeps exactly the same look whether you order A4 or A0. Inch sizes such as 12x16 and 18x24 are handy if you already own a frame bought in inches.
How do you hang vintage travel posters?
- Choose one statement or a group. A single large poster suits a calm room; a group suits a hallway or a long wall.
- Make paper templates. Cut paper to the size of each poster or frame and tape it to the wall with low-tack tape. Live with it for a day before you drill.
- Hang at eye level. Aim for the middle of the poster, or of the whole group, to sit roughly at eye height for someone standing.
- Relate it to the furniture. Over a sofa or sideboard, keep a modest gap so the poster and the furniture read as one arrangement.
- Keep gaps equal. In a group, even spacing matters more than the exact distance.
- Pick a frame style. Matching frames look calm; mixed wood tones feel collected over time. If a frame option is shown on the product page, you can order the poster framed in black, white, light wood or dark wood pine.
Keep posters out of strong direct sun if you can; it helps the colours stay fresh for longer.
Where do travel posters look best at home?
- Living room: one large city view above the sofa.
- Hallway: a row of three places that tells the story of your travels.
- Kitchen or dining room: Italian and Spanish cities feel at home near the table.
- Bedroom: a place that means something to the two of you.
- Home office: the destination you are working towards.
When should you order a travel poster as a gift?
Each poster is printed on 170 gsm semi-gloss paper from FSC-certified or equivalent sources, then sent out:
| Delivery option | Printing time | Delivery time (working days) | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK standard | 1–3 working days | 2–4 | Free |
| UK express | 1–3 working days | 1–3 | Shown at checkout |
| Worldwide | 1–3 working days | 2–5 | Free |
| Digital file | Not printed | Not posted | Free |
Delivery times can be longer over the holiday season, so order early for Christmas and check our Delivery Info page for the latest timings. Non-personalised prints can be returned within 60 days.
Find your destination
Start with Verona, Rome, Florence or Porto, or browse all our vintage travel posters. Free worldwide delivery on every order.
More reading: how to build a travel poster gallery at home and 15 travel poster destinations that make you want to pack a bag.
Frequently asked questions
What is a vintage travel poster?
An illustrated advert for a destination in the style railway and shipping companies used to sell holidays: flat colour, one strong view and the place name in large letters. Today the term also covers new prints made in that style.
Who designed the most famous vintage travel posters?
Well-known names include John Hassall, whose 1908 "Skegness is so bracing" poster was made for the Great Northern Railway, Roger Broders, who worked for the Paris–Lyon–Méditerranée railway, and the Art Deco designer A. M. Cassandre.
What size should a travel poster be?
A3 or 12x16 inches suits a shelf or narrow wall, A2 or 18x24 inches works above a sofa or bed, and A1 or larger fills a big wall on its own.
Are your travel posters original vintage prints?
No. They are new designs inspired by the classic style, printed to order on 170 gsm semi-gloss paper.
How long does delivery take?
Posters are printed in 1–3 working days. UK standard delivery then takes 2–4 working days and worldwide delivery 2–5 working days, and both are free.
Sources (checked 29 October 2026): our Delivery Info, Returns and Product Specifications pages; Wikipedia: Poster, The Jolly Fisherman, Roger Broders, Cassandre, LNER, ISO 216; and the product pages linked above.