This Summer Sun Valley presents the Idaho resort as a place of exuberant warm-weather escape. Against an expansive blue ground, a woman springs upwards with arms flung wide, her white blouse and dark skirt animated by flashes of red. The scale of her figure is deliberately theatrical: she towers over the lodge, skaters and flower beds below, turning a holiday moment into an emphatic expression of movement, fresh air and pleasure.

The poster belongs to a tradition of American travel advertising in which destinations were promoted not simply as locations, but as complete experiences. Sun Valley opened in 1936 as a purpose-built mountain resort and became closely associated with sport, fashionable leisure and the dramatic landscape of Idaho. Here, however, the emphasis is pointedly seasonal. Rather than relying upon snow-covered peaks alone, the design markets summer through brilliant colour, flowers, sociable activity and a sense of physical freedom. The wording “Chicago and North Western Line” along the lower edge places the scene within the wider culture of railway promotion, when transport companies used bold graphic imagery to make distant resorts appear both desirable and accessible.

A closer look

The eye first meets the airborne figure in the upper portion of the composition. Her pale blouse catches sharply against the saturated blue, while red details punctuate the costume and draw attention to its fluttering folds. Flowing hair and the diagonal thrust of her limbs reinforce the impression of a leap caught at its most buoyant point. The figure is positioned asymmetrically, leaving open blue space around her; that emptiness is not passive, but gives the movement room to register.

Behind and beneath her, the poster compresses the resort into a compact panorama of leisure. A broad, lodge-like building stretches across the centre, its sloping roof and repeated windows providing a stable horizontal counterweight to the figure’s energetic pose. Warm brown architectural tones soften the cooler blues and whites surrounding it. Small groups gather nearby, while figures on the rink are reduced to lively marks and varied gestures. Their diminutive scale makes the foreground woman appear still more monumental.

Along the bottom edge, clusters of pink, yellow and purple flowers establish the summer setting and create a decorative threshold before the scene. They also produce an appealing seasonal contrast with the apparent skating activity: Sun Valley is presented as a mountain resort where cultivated gardens, outdoor recreation and crisp alpine conditions can coexist. The typography completes the hierarchy. “THIS SUMMER” announces the proposition in direct uppercase lettering, while the large “SUN VALLEY” below fixes the destination in the memory; the railway name is smaller, functioning as the practical route beneath the promise.

Context and significance

Resort posters of this kind depended upon simplification. Architecture, landscape and human activity are distilled into legible shapes, flat colour and a few carefully chosen details that could communicate quickly in a station or travel office. The palette of bright blue, white and red gives This Summer Sun Valley unusual visual immediacy, while touches of green, yellow and floral colour prevent the design from feeling austere. Its modernist economy serves a clear promotional purpose: the resort is made to seem lively, healthful and socially animated at a glance.

The most memorable feature remains its reversal of expectations. Sun Valley may be widely associated with winter sport, yet this poster insists upon another identity—one shaped by flowers, open skies and summertime recreation. The result is both a persuasive document of American tourism and a spirited example of how travel graphics could build the imaginative character of a place.

Choosing the right size and finish

Artwork can feel intimate at smaller sizes and dramatically more architectural at larger ones. Use the room preview, model image and size guide to see how the proportions and scale will work in your space.

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The model in the listing images is holding the 36x24in (90x60cm) version of this art print.

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Selected artworks can be produced at statement sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). Custom sizing and specialist framing are also available. If the exact option you need is not listed, contact our workshop.

This artwork is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The work is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present an art print without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas art and explore the differences between my different finishes.