Far East by SAS - Red-crowned Cranes

This original SAS Far East travel poster from the 1950s, designed by Otto Nielsen (1916–2000), was created to promote Scandinavian Airlines System flights to destinations in the Far East.

The striking design depicts two elegant red-crowned cranes among reeds and vegetation, rendered in Nielsen's characteristic loose, expressive and painterly style. The crane has a particularly strong cultural association with East Asia, especially Japan, where it traditionally symbolizes longevity and good fortune. A small SAS aircraft appears in the distant sky, a recurring element in Nielsen's destination posters that connects the exotic scene with modern international air travel.

The atmospheric combination of muted greens, yellows and browns, punctuated by the cranes' brilliant red crowns, gives the poster an almost painterly quality quite different from conventional airline advertising of the period. The classic winged SAS Viking emblem and early globe logo complete this fine example of mid-century Scandinavian airline design.

The poster has several tears and some paper loss, particularly along the lower left margin. Despite these faults, the main image remains very attractive and the poster would still present beautifully when framed.