Poster, 'New Zealand'

This striking Pan American poster presents travel and tourism to New Zealand in the 1950s as a cultural getaway. Such romanticised images of first peoples were often used by Pam Am in its advertising.

The Maori warrior in this image was seen through international eyes, so plays on familiar aspects of such imagery using elements of Tiki culture (which is an American kitsch or fantastical version of Polynesian art). For example, the warrior's noble upward gaze, his red skin and facial markings, his connection with the past embodied in the carving, and his use of a traditional lance (taiaha). Very little of this image is actually authentic. His moko (tattoo) is an unrealistic design in bright blue, his skin is red. However, the poupou (gable figure) on the left shows surprisingly good realisation of the carved detail.

Pan American was the principle international air carrier for the United States from 1927 until its collapse in late 1991. It began flying regular passenger services to the Pacific in 1935 and to New Zealand in 1937.

Pan Am was credited with many innovations that shaped the international airline industry, including the widespread use of jet aircraft, jumbo jets, and computerised reservation systems. The airline was a cultural icon of the twentieth century and the unofficial flag carrier of the United States.