?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 700 - $ 1,000
SIGNATURE ILLEGIBLE B•O•A•C MONARCH STRATOCRUISER. 1951. 30x19 3/4 inches, 76 1/4x50 1/4 cm. Condition B+: time-staining at edges; loss in upper image. The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was a modified version of two World War II bomber planes: the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The plane was designed to compete with the Lockheed Constellation and the Douglas DC-6. The result was a lumbering giant of an aircraft that lacked the streamlined, structural grace of her counterparts, but more than made up for that in comfort and luxury for her passengers. The double-decker aircraft had a lounge and bar, full-size bathrooms, sleeping berths and other amenities, and was likened to a flying luxury hotel in magazine ads of the period. Only 56 of the aircraft were ever built, and BOAC operated 17 of them throughout the 1950s. The plane was ultimately replaced by the De Haviland Comet and the era of commercial jet travel. The Monarch was all first class service and the caliber of travelers was high and well-connected. This poster does well to display the height of fashion of the travelers on board the Stratocruiser with their hat boxes, stylish glasses, bright fashions and snappy coats. It also shows two travelers carrying their complimentary Bond Street Overnight Bags, which were a perk given out by the airline (female passengers also received an Elizabeth Arden beauty kit). Among the aircraft's claim to fame in popular media is that it was James Bond's favorite airplane, as he indulged and relaxed in its slow and luxurious service.
