“New York World’s Fair: The World of Tomorrow” poster

Opening on April 30, 1939, in Flushing Meadows, Queens, the New York World’s Fair lived up to its visionary theme, the “World of Tomorrow.” The exposition—which hosted exhibits by government agencies, corporations, civic groups, and organizations from around the world— introduced many of the era’s technological and scientific advances to the wider public, among them television and nylon—including a demonstration of nylon stockings.



The advent of the Second World War on September 1, 1939, clouded the fair’s optimistic projection of the future. This advertising poster, issued before the outbreak of hostilities, foretold of the coming ubiquity of air travel, and in retrospect presaged the formations of military aircraft that would soon dominate the skies over Europe.