New York/Swissair
Designer
Henri Ott
Swiss, 1919 - 2009
Date1951
Dimensions40 x 25 1/4 in. (101.6 x 64.1 cm)
ClassificationsPoster
Credit LinePoster House Permanent Collection
Object numberPH.8217
DescriptionHenri Ott created more than 20 designs for Swissair promoting various destinations, all of them in linocut. Also known as linoleum printing, the process is similar to woodcut in which a design is carved or cut into a surface, creating raised lines that can then be printed. Here, the artist presents a romanticized view of Manhattan, seen from the East River on a tugboat as it passes under the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise. This type of view—a gritty, everyday snapshot of the fringes of modern life in the big city—was represented by many Depression-era artists and reflected the influence of their immediate predecessors in the Ashcan School. As such, it is one of the earliest posters that describes a specific atmosphere rather than displaying the technological marvels of the massive metropolis.On View
Not on view
