Air-India
Designer
Jacob
Date1969
MediumPhoto-Offset Lithograph
Dimensions40 x 25 in. (101.6 x 63.5 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.6851
DescriptionThe Maharaja appears here in the guise of the King of Hearts from a deck of playing cards. This poster did, in fact, steal many hearts—in 1969 it was awarded a certificate of merit by the Communication Arts Guild in India. Ironically, the choice of a maharaja as a mascot came at a time when Indian maharajas were losing their power. After gaining its independence in 1947, India integrated its princely states into a unified democratic government that no longer had room for royalty. Just as the continuing presence of actual princes was being scrutinized in India, so too was the seemingly regressive choice of the Maharaja as Air-India’s mascot. While to many, the Maharaja was an image of pride, reflecting India’s rich history and culture, to others he was a reminder of a repressive past. In a 1965 speech, Bobby Kooka remarked that “sourpusses in our land denounced him as a relic of the feudal system, an insignia not in keeping with a Corporation, the owners of which are our Government. We were reminded that when the country has ‘kaput’ the Maharajas, Rajahs, Nawabs, Princes, and Zamindars, why should this undemocratic symbol portray a false image of our country? We prayed that reason would prevail, and it is comforting to know that the little fellow has now passed more than muster.”On View
Not on view
