KLEIN, D. - India

This India poster was created circa 1960 by David Klein (1918 -2005) for TWA. The image shows an Indian wall relief with an elephant decorated with precious stones. Elephants were closely associated with royalty in India, they were dressed and adorned with expensive fabrics and jewelry. On top of the elephant, a howdah was placed for the ruler to sit on during processions or on their way to battle. The elephant is set against a bright background, the stylised title India in red letters above and Fly TWA in bold with a plane below, within a tiled style border.

The American arstist David Klein was best known for his influential work in advertising. Although he produced illustrations for Broadway theatrical productions, Hollywood films, the United States Army, and numerous corporate clients, Klein is best remembered for the iconic travel images he created for Howard Hughes and Trans World Airlines (TWA) during the 1950’s and 1960’s.

TWA (Trans World Airlines) was formed in 1924 as Transcontinental & Western Air. The airline’s first route was New York to Los Angeles, soon followed by multiple National routes.