I’m waiting for a very, very large HD video file to download from a FTP server tonight. This gives me loads of opportunity to surf the internet, and find things while actually waiting to get to work. Well actually get back to work. None the less I stumbled on this French website earlier tonight while doing some research on travel posters for another project.

These Japanese travel posters from the turn of the 20th century are absolutely wonderful for so many reasons. What I really like about them is the way they combine traditional Japanese cultural matter with a very western style of design and painting aesthetics. In some of them, there is something that is just a bit off, like the illustrator was purposefully trying to make the figures features look more western, even thought the women are in traditional kimonos. Then there is the additional symbology that shows up in almost every poster, the flowers. I love it, sumo wrestlers, winged birds, women in kimonos, men in suits…

Beyond that they are beautifully illustrated, and the layouts are absolutely classic for travel posters of the time.