1924

Paine has used the same design to advertise two different air lines.   ‘He was the first to use the diagonal as a theme for crossing the Channel, an idea that was then taken up by many artists.   No aeroplane on the posters this time but a golf ball.   …   At the time it was the “Bankers’ Route”, Paris-London in 2 hours 15 minutes 200 francs.   Air Union, founded in 1923, was one of the four companies whose merger in 1933 gave birth to Air France.’                                                                                                                                                                 (The First Posters for French Commercial Aviation Collection du Musee Air France) 

I don’t know if this is a poster or a cover.   The aircraft appear to owe more to the artist’s imagination than to that of any aeroplane designer.   It could possibly have been produced in connection with the 1928 play Wings Over Europe by Robert Nichols and Maurice Browne, a drama set in 10 Downing Street and produced on Broadway at a time when Paine was teaching in Santa Barbara.   Austin Strong, son of Paine’s friend Teuila (Isobel Field), was a successful playwright.

1923 or earlier

This splendid showcard was included in a display of Paine’s posters in Milan in 1923.   (Information Art Institute of Chicago)   The design harks back to the days of Beau Nash (1674-1761) Master of Ceremonies at the fashionable spa town of Bath.