DDL - DANISH AIRLINES (1938) ARTIST FINN BJØRVIG - no. 012004

Dimensions: 43 x 27.5 cm.

THE STORY BEHIND THE POSTER

THE CONDOR WALKS ON WINGS

The Danske Luftfartsselskab purchased two in 1938. state-of-the-art four-engined Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, which is the type of aircraft seen on the poster.

DDL's Condor was called Denmark and Jutland and got respectively the letters of recognition OY DAM and OY THEM. The new acquisition was of great importance for DDL and, together with the purchase of a three-engine Junkers Ju 52, it made it possible to expand the route network to e.g. Berlin, London, Oslo and Stockholm.

Due to its wingspan of 33 metres, the condor was named after the bird with the very large wingspan. The barely 24 meter long machine had room for 26 passengers and 4 crew members, it was equipped with 4 engines of 720 HP and retractable undercarriage and had a traveling speed of 345 km/h.

The machines were completely made of metal, information that was used in the marketing. They were equipped with very beautiful and artistically designed cabins. For each passenger there was an automatic cigar lighter, table, reading lamp, individual ventilation and access to a smoking cabin. DDL wrote in a brochure about their new fantastic aircraft: " The Condors are Europe's fastest and most modern traffic machines. A trip with one of these wonderful machines is an unforgettable experience and the pinnacle of all travel comfort.”

Commercial aviation was in explosive growth when the poster was made. Where DDL carried 809 passengers in 1920, by 1939 the number had risen to 45,000. The company with the beautiful logo with the seagull and the 3 wavy lines faced a bright future.

Denmark and Jutland however, was not in operation for long. Denmark stranded on 9 April 1940 in London during the German occupation of Denmark and was seized by the English, who used the aircraft until it was totally damaged in 1941. Jutland survived the war and was in operation with DDL until 1946, when it was totally damaged in the English town of Northolt near London.

The poster with DDL's brand new pride was drawn around 1938 by the very young poster artist Finn Bjørvig (1918-2012). He had drawn the poster on his own initiative, and when he showed it at DDL's head office, they were very excited, but thought that the red letters were too striking. They would like to change the design of them. He turned in protest and walked out the door, but they stopped him on the steps and the poster went to press unchanged. The disputed letters were used until 1946, when DDL became part of SAS, the new Scandinavian airline.