Air France Reseau Aerien Mondial announces itself with confident modernity, the title suspended in a cloud-borne cartouche as Lucien Boucher unveils his first map for the airline in 1934. From Paris, double lines radiate across a stylized planisphere, translating the timetables and ambitions of interwar aviation into an elegant geometry of connection. Boucher’s celebrated blend of route geography and ornamental fantasy is already fully formed: a world both factual and fabulous, where the measured arcs of commerce share space with narrative vignettes. Europe, the Mediterranean, West Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the Atlantic façade of South America are gathered into a single, legible constellation, a cosmopolitan circuitry that made Air France synonymous with reach, refinement, and discovery.

Read as history, the network captures a precise moment in global flight. North Atlantic routes to New York and Indian Ocean lines to Madagascar are notably absent, signaling an earlier chapter before such crossings became routine; yet New York is named, a tantalizing destination awaiting a future path. In Europe, Berlin, Warsaw, and Danzig attest to a pre-1939 geopolitical map, their inclusion a reminder of shifting borders and alliances soon to come. Southward, the lattice touches Brazil and Argentina, with Montevideo and Santiago de Chile inscribed along the rim of possibility. West Africa and the Middle East appear as axial corridors, while Southeast Asia extends the French aerial imagination toward distant monsoon shores.

Boucher’s visual language is quintessentially Art Deco in its poise and ornament. A monumental compass rose anchors the composition, its cardinal points an emblem of worldly orientation and confident navigation. Around the seas, a steamship cleaves the Atlantic, while hippocampi, half-horse and half-fish, froth around the title—mythic escorts for a new mastery of air and ocean. Across the continents, flora, fauna, and architectural silhouettes provide a lucid, region-by-region grammar: the giraffe and ostrich of Africa, the minarets and domes of the Middle East, and traditional motifs distilled from many cultures. These are not mere decorations; they are narrative cues that transform a route map into a theater of travel.

Cartographically, the work favors clarity and allure over geodetic rigor, adopting a stylized planisphere that privileges experience as much as exactitude. The double-line routes, bright filaments against the subdued seas, trace both distances and desires, thickening where Europe’s mesh is densest, tapering into elegant spurs toward Dakar, the Levant, and the ports of South America. The geometry suggests great-circle logic while remaining invitingly legible—an itinerary at a glance. Negative space is purposeful: oceans become stages for ships, winds, and compass lore, while continents carry the iconography of culture and terrain. The result is a network you can read as a schedule and inhabit as a story.

Historically, this map inaugurates Boucher’s long, defining association with Air France, setting the visual DNA that would evolve as the airline’s reach expanded. Its idiom—ornament married to operational reality—became an international signature, a way of seeing the world through the lens of flight. Later editions would fill the blank corridors with North Atlantic vectors and Indian Ocean arches, but the 1934 planisphere holds a special charge: the poised anticipation of an era on the brink of new routes and new politics. It is both a celebration of what existed and a promise of what was imminent, a luminous snapshot of aviation’s golden interwar moment.

Countries and regions on this map

• Europe
• Mediterranean Region
• West Africa
• Middle East
• Southeast Asia
• South America (Brazil and Argentina)
• Paris (central hub)
• Berlin
• Warsaw
• Danzig
• Montevideo
• Santiago de Chile
• New York (labeled; no route indicated)

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Large decorative compass rose with cardinal directions
• Double-line flight routes radiating from Paris
• Ornamental flora, fauna, and cultural figures by region
• Giraffe and ostrich in Africa
• Steamship crossing the Atlantic
• Architectural motifs from various cultures
• Framed title cartouche with clouds and stylized hippocampi
• Smaller inset illustrations, including maritime and traditional design elements

Historical and design context

• First Air France poster by Lucien Boucher (1934)
• Celebrates the airline’s global routes during the early 1930s
• Design marries operational route geography with ornamental fantasy
• Absence of North Atlantic routes to New York and Indian Ocean lines to Madagascar marks an early network stage
• Inclusion of Berlin, Warsaw, and Danzig signals pre-1939 geopolitical context
• Inaugurates Boucher’s long association with Air France and its evolving visual identity
• Frames interwar commercial aviation as a new, connective global experience

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

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

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map 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 a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

Alcune delle mie vecchie mappe sono ora disponibili come tele incorniciate. Per favore contattami se desideri ordinare una dimensione che non è disponibile nel mio negozio.

Le vecchie mappe su tela sono un'alternativa interessante alle mappe incorniciate in modo convenzionale. A seconda del tuo gusto personale e dell'arredamento della stanza, le mappe su tela possono "risaltare" un po' di più rispetto a una mappa incorniciata.

Scopri di più sulle mie mappe su tela incorniciate.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

Se non sei soddisfatto del tuo ordine per qualsiasi motivo, contattami per un rimborso senza problemi. Si prega di consultare la nostra politica di reso e rimborso per ulteriori informazioni.

Sono molto sicuro che ti piacerà la tua mappa restaurata o la stampa d'arte. Lo faccio dal 1984. Sono un venditore Etsy a 5 stelle. Ho venduto decine di migliaia di mappe e stampe d'arte e ho oltre 5.000 recensioni reali a 5 stelle.

Utilizzo un processo unico per restaurare mappe e opere d'arte che richiede molto tempo e lavoro. Trovare le mappe e le illustrazioni originali può richiedere mesi. Utilizzo tecnologia all'avanguardia e incredibilmente costosa per scannerizzare e restaurarle. Di conseguenza, garantisco che le mie mappe e stampe d'arte siano superiori alle altre - ecco perché posso offrire un rimborso senza problemi.

Quasi tutte le mie mappe e stampe d'arte sembrano fantastiche a grandi dimensioni (200 cm, 6,5 piedi+) e posso anche incorniciarle e consegnarle a te, tramite un corriere speciale per oggetti di grandi dimensioni. Contattami per discutere delle tue esigenze specifiche.