Kosel’s Vienna presents the Austrian capital through a carefully compressed arrangement of monument, architecture and emphatic lettering. A dark equestrian statue rises at the left, its rider’s lifted arm introducing a note of ceremony and movement, while domes, façades and a slender spire gather behind it in overlapping planes. Bright yellow, deep blue-black and muted green give the city a theatrical clarity: less a literal panorama than a graphic distillation of Vienna’s monumental character.

Designed in the streamlined idiom of early- to mid-20th-century tourism advertising, the poster belongs to an era when European destinations were promoted through memorable visual shorthand. Rather than catalogue individual attractions, Kosel combines the suggestion of imperial statuary, formal architecture and cultivated greenery into a single persuasive identity. The Art Deco character lies in its simplified geometry, crisp silhouettes and tightly controlled colour, all organised to make the city legible at a glance.

A closer look

The mounted figure provides the composition’s darkest and most intricate form. Horse and rider are largely held together as a single silhouette, yet fine divisions remain visible between the horse’s body, its legs and the rider above. Set upon a stepped monument, the group occupies the foreground with considerable weight. The ascending horizontal lines beneath it establish perspective and lead the eye upwards, while the raised arm breaks into the lighter background and sharpens the figure’s profile.

Across the right half, Vienna appears as a layered architectural ensemble. Pale yellow buildings are punctuated by small window shapes and edged with darker contours; a rounded dome and a narrow spire vary the skyline without disturbing its disciplined rhythm. A decorative archway near the centre creates another interval of light, partly framed by the statue in front. Green foliage softens these built forms, although even the trees are treated graphically, their pale triangular marks echoing the poster’s broader geometric language.

The colour structure is especially economical. Luminous yellow serves at once as sky, light and architectural highlight, while blue and near-black establish the monument and deeper recesses. Muted green occupies the middle register, bridging the extremes. At the foot of the design, the large sans-serif word “VIENNA” forms a firm visual base. Beneath it, “INFORMATIONS AT TOURIST OFFICES” appears in smaller type, followed by the fine-print designation “BOARD FOR THE PROMOTION OF TOURIST TRAFFIC IN VIENNA, MESSEPALAST, VIENNA VII.” The hierarchy is immediate: destination first, practical direction second, administrative detail last.

Context and significance

Travel posters of this period had to perform several tasks at once. Displayed in public settings, they needed to attract attention from a distance, identify a destination quickly and suggest an atmosphere before a prospective visitor knew its streets. Kosel’s solution avoids a crowded inventory of landmarks. Instead, Vienna is characterised through grandeur, ordered urban space and the silhouette of inherited history—qualities reinforced by the monumental scale of the horseman and the stately progression of domes and spires.

The result is persuasive precisely because it remains selective. Architecture, greenery and statuary are transformed into a compact civic emblem, while the bold title completes the image as decisively as any building. Close inspection reveals subtle layers of windows, steps and foliage, but from afar the poster retains the directness required of public advertising: a city condensed into colour, contour and name.

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.

If you need an exact size, specialist framing or help planning a larger display, ask our workshop for advice.

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

Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, or one considered visual detail. See examples of personalised artwork.

Choose Original to retain the colour and character of the source artwork, or Aged for a warmer, more antique appearance. See examples of our Aged artwork.

Every piece is produced to archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte art paper. Choose an art print, framed art print or framed canvas using the finish options above.

Framed art prints use crystal-clear optical acrylic for excellent clarity, lower weight and safer delivery than glass. Each piece arrives professionally framed and ready to hang.

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.