The Art of Travel Posters

Canada Post / Poste Canada has done itself proud with a commemorative 5-stamp set of vintage Canadian travel posters. Their June 9, 2022 issue date celebrated the emergence of post-covid travel. What better way than highlighting a golden age of commercial illustration with some stunning examples of art deco design?

Ii was only recently that I spotted this set in our local post office. I've always admired the fine detail of stamp designs from my younger days of learning about the world by collecting stamps from everywhere. At the time it seemed odd that the largest, most beautiful stamps came from the smallest countries. But that was before I realized that image is everything and stamps were international advertising.

I liked the romantic aura of these new Canadian stamps and decided to put together a tabletop still life to showcase them. Here's how I did it.

First I rummaged through a box of assorted tabletop collectibles to find some props. You never know when they might come in handy.

Next I selected one of my favourite coffee table books as a background

The book and a selection of props were lit by window light (from the top of the picture) and tinfoil as a reflector to fill in the shadows. I stood on a folding kitchen ladder for an overhead view.

The final composite included the folder of stamps and small leisure-related items atop the cover of the Canadian Pacific coffee table book, which is appropriately about travel posters.

© Gary Crallé 2023