Post War Euphoria
American victory in WWII served as a turning point in the country's history. It signalled the definitive end of the Great Depression as theand marked the US's emergence as the world's richest country. The war had given a boost to industrial manufacturing in the country, with aircraft production comprising most of the country's output during the war years, contributing significantly to US's GDP growth. While these aircrafts had originally been manufactured for defence purposes, their excess supply after the end of the war led to the need to create a corresponding civilian demand for it. American government and corporations responded to this excess supply by pushing travel as a lesiure activity among the country's public. This coincides with the birth of Holiday magazine, which was dedicated to talking about and promoting travel in the US. Additionally, due to its significance in the war, the aircraft came to stand for a symbol of the country's victory in the war.
Travel and travel adjacent ads published in the five years following the end of the war drew on, and amplified public euphoria over the country's victory in the war and its economic prosperity. They showed images of white heterosexual middle and upper class families reaping the benefits of the expanding opportunities that were now available to them.
Declaring victory in loud American colours, this image and header text accompany an article about the One World Day fete that took place in Cleveland soon after the end of the war. The body text declares the American air force as the "world's greatest air force", echoing the sentiments present in the image and header text on the page. There is a spirit of celebration and euphoria in the air.
Part of a campaign issued by United Aircraft Corporation, the header copy in this advertisement reflects a sense of unlimited possibilites being available to the American public in the post-war climate. It declares that Americans now had full control over the air, and it was theirs to 'use'.
The tagline in this ad issued by the Trans World Airline reads "For more time to play...fly", the header text encourages readers to "grab" a chunk of a place, while the images show Americans sprawling against a landscape. The ad thus reflects an attitude of entitlement over a space and its people, that cannot be divorced from the country's victory in the war.
Issued by Jackman Custom Originals, a bespoke American clothing brand, this ad reflects a sense of expanding possibilities now available to the American people. The header text declares that all dimensions of the earth: land, sea, and the air, are available to the country's public. The figures present in the ad, although tourists in a foreign location, adopt confident stances, and seem unbothered about taking up space in a new place.