Retro Rewind: Travel Brochures

I’m always on the lookout for kitschy printed material, as you may have seen in my  Whimsical Roadmaps and Whimsical Roadmaps Pt. 2. posts.

The travel brochures of yesteryear are also a great trove of inspiration for typography and illustration styles. While I’ll always gravitate to the more whimsical pieces, some are just too interesting not to pick up.

Included below are a few from some recent flea market explorations.

Enjoy.

The stereotype of the lazy Mexican (above) is … unfortunate. Alas, 1962.

(Above) Black and white spot illustrations from 1962 Vacation Suggestions.

(Above) Detail from St. Petersburg. The fish looks a bit too happy considering he’s about to become dinner.

Canadia (detail above) was a miniature village in Niagara Falls, Ontario from 1966-1970. The attraction featured Canadian landmarks, such as the Parliament Building, Pearson Airport and the Welland canal, all built to 1:24 scale.

It closed in 1970 due to poor attendance. The whereabouts of the miniatures is largely unknown. Some were sold to Tivoli Miniature World in Vineland in Ontario. When they closed in 1995, it’s said the miniatures were sold to a company in Brazil.

I love the mix of the realistic rendering and whimsical spot illustrations.

(Above) Detail from Yellowstone. Shiny, happy people.