William Sumits
TWA Publicity Album, 1938 - 1942
Photo album; Silver prints (450)
Images 4 x 5 inches, mounted 4 per page
With typed inventory numbers and caption labels affixed on page recto.
With typed inventory numbers and caption labels affixed on page recto.
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Massive “file book” of publicity photographs by TWA’s chief photographer, William J. Sumits, produced at the beginning of the golden age of airplane travel. With hundreds of slick, glossy images...
Massive “file book” of publicity photographs by TWA’s chief photographer, William J. Sumits, produced at the beginning of the golden age of airplane travel. With hundreds of slick, glossy images intended to entice potential travelers with a glamorous overview of the airline’s state-of-the-art fleet, modern facilities, and all-American destinations.
Present are scores aviation related shots such as images of the iconic, chrome-bodied DC-3 aircraft both grounded and in flight; publicity stunts such as an inflight marriage and an award ceremony for T.W.A.'s feline mascot, put on the Cat Realist Society; and posed occupational portraits of TWA engineers, Hostesses, Pilots, and other airline employees. The latter half of the album (though the introduction welcomes re-organization at the hands of a publicist) offers numerous scenes of the West, including leisurely days out on Lake Mead, monumental compositions of Boulder Dam, and views of a Native American pueblo in Albuquerque, N.M.
In 1930, Transcontinental and Western Air merged at the behest of the Postmaster General, who believed that two different airlines with government contracts to deliver mail should not operate along identical routes, thus TWA was formed. (The acronym didn’t actually stand for “Trans World Airline” until 1950.) TWA was a major player in international travel in the 1950s and 60s, but a series of financial setbacks such as the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 and mismanagement in the 1980s led to its eventual decline. After declaring bankruptcy for a third time in 2001, TWA was acquired by American Airlines.
William J. Sumits (1914-2006) was the chief photographer for TWA in the mid 1930s until 1947, when he joined the staff of Life magazine. He A book of his work entitled “TWA: The Early Years” was published in 2011.
Present are scores aviation related shots such as images of the iconic, chrome-bodied DC-3 aircraft both grounded and in flight; publicity stunts such as an inflight marriage and an award ceremony for T.W.A.'s feline mascot, put on the Cat Realist Society; and posed occupational portraits of TWA engineers, Hostesses, Pilots, and other airline employees. The latter half of the album (though the introduction welcomes re-organization at the hands of a publicist) offers numerous scenes of the West, including leisurely days out on Lake Mead, monumental compositions of Boulder Dam, and views of a Native American pueblo in Albuquerque, N.M.
In 1930, Transcontinental and Western Air merged at the behest of the Postmaster General, who believed that two different airlines with government contracts to deliver mail should not operate along identical routes, thus TWA was formed. (The acronym didn’t actually stand for “Trans World Airline” until 1950.) TWA was a major player in international travel in the 1950s and 60s, but a series of financial setbacks such as the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 and mismanagement in the 1980s led to its eventual decline. After declaring bankruptcy for a third time in 2001, TWA was acquired by American Airlines.
William J. Sumits (1914-2006) was the chief photographer for TWA in the mid 1930s until 1947, when he joined the staff of Life magazine. He A book of his work entitled “TWA: The Early Years” was published in 2011.