This colorful pictorial map of the Americas by Kenneth W. Thompson emphasizes the growing trade and transportation routes between North and South America. Specifically, the focus here is on the "flying clipper ship" routes offered by Pan American. Pan Am named their flying boat fleet "clippers" to associate them with the maritime heritage of ocean liners. Flying boats could land in any sheltered harbor, making them a convenient and quick form of transportation that could service more cities than land planes, which required large runways. The map is filled with illustrations and notations highlighting resources, crops, industry, wildlife, and culture. A chain of flags decorates the bottom of the map. On verso are two large illustrations showcasing two of the planes in Pan American's fleet: at top is a "giant flying boat" used for flights over sea, with four engines, a five-man flight crew, and sound-proofed, air-conditioned individual cabins, while at bottom the "luxury liner" for over land routes is exhibited.

Kenneth Webster Thompson (1907-1996) was an American artist who was best known for his maritime and landscape paintings. A native of New York City, he studied at the Grand Central Art School and later became a wartime illustrator for the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Thompson often illustrated in the advertising field for companies such as Pan Am and Coca Cola, and also contributed work to numerous national and local magazines, including Life, Colliers, and Look. Thompson was a celebrated artist, earning a life membership in the Society of Illustrators as well as awards from the Chicago Art Directors Club, the New York Art Directors Club, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts.

References: Rumsey #11146.

Condition: A

A bright, crisp example issued folding with a hint of wear along the folds.