New England Travel Poster: Vacationland by John Held, Jr., 1928

“New England is vacationland” by John Held, Jr., 1928, is a jubilant slice of Jazz Age wanderlust rendered in the unmistakable Art Deco style. One of America’s most celebrated illustrators of the 1920s, Held distilled the energy of modern life into crisp lines and stylish silhouettes—perfectly suited to a poster inviting travelers to the coasts, mountains, and historic towns of New England. Created at a moment when rail and steamship travel opened the region to a new leisure-seeking public, this design captures the optimism of the era and the social whirl of holidays away.

Our offering is a meticulously produced fine art print, available on museum-grade, acid-free archival paper or on artist’s cotton canvas. The Unique Maps Co. prints are color-matched to preserve the poster’s saturated blues, clean whites, and lively accents of red and yellow, with sharp, gallery-ready detail. Choose from a range of sizes, with optional framing in black, white, or natural wood. Personalization is available—add a gift message, a date, or a custom caption—along with bespoke sizing or layout requests to suit your space.

About the artist: John Held Jr. was an American cartoonist, printmaker, illustrator, sculptor, and author whose spirited figures came to define the look of the Roaring Twenties. A fixture in magazines like The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, and Life, Held perfected a witty, streamlined visual language—elongated forms, crisp contour lines, and a playful sense of motion—that translated seamlessly to posters and book jackets. His work remains an enduring emblem of 1920s modernity, glamour, and fun.

Why this poster matters: In the late 1920s, tourism boards and transportation companies championed regional travel through bold graphic art. This New England poster is both advertisement and time capsule, celebrating a place where city-dwellers could trade bustle for sea breezes, mountain air, and convivial summer gatherings. By integrating different travelers and leisure motifs—smartly dressed figures, stacked luggage, and scenes of social activity—it spotlights the region’s variety and broad appeal across ages and interests.

Design you’ll love living with: The composition embraces Art Deco geometry and rhythm, using layered planes and stylized forms to create movement and focus. A dominant field of blue evokes open sky and water, while white and red accents snap the eye across the page. The simplified shapes, carefully balanced negative space, and confident typography make the piece feel both vintage and remarkably contemporary. It sits effortlessly in coastal, modern, and eclectic interiors alike—equally at home near nautical décor, clean-lined furniture, or a gallery wall of black-and-white photography.

This fine art print makes a thoughtful gift for anyone who loves or has recently visited New England—perfect for housewarmings, graduations, anniversaries, or holidays like Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day. Whether commemorating summers on the shore, autumn foliage trips, or family reunions up north, “New England is vacationland” brings the easy sophistication of 1920s travel style to today’s walls.

If you're not sure what size to order, or you're looking for a custom order of some kind – a different size, a different colour, a special frame – then please contact me. I usually respond within a few minutes.

You can see an example of my fine art personalisation service in the fifth image. Zoom in and take a look. My personalised artwork is always very well received. Take a look at more examples of personalisation.

You can also choose to age your art print to make it look older. This is popular amongst my customers who want their artwork to look like an older, antique print. You can see an example of ageing in the sixth product image, or go ahead and check out lots of examples of other aged artwork.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this art print.

I can print and frame this beautiful piece of art at sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). If you are looking for a size or framing option that isn't available online, please get in touch.

This artwork is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. My standard frames come in six colours (black, dark brown, dark grey, antique gold, oak and white), and custom framing is available for an additional charge. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.