WHEN CUBA INVITED AMERICA TO VISIT—JUST NINETY MILES AWAY

Massaguer, Conrado W. (1889–1965). [Cover Artist & Designer]

Visit Cuba at the World's Fair. [1939]

Havana: Carsasa & Co. for the Cuban Pavilion, 1939.

A Striking Art Deco Promotion for Cuba at the 1939 New York World's Fair

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Stapled pictorial wraps printed in vibrant red, blue, black, and white after designs by Conrado W. Massaguer. Twenty-eight pages featuring striking Art Deco layouts combining photography, typography, and graphic illustration. Printed in Havana by Carsasa & Co. for distribution through the Cuban Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Quarto (approximately 8 x 9 inches); 28 pages.

CONDITION: Very Good.
+++ Binding remains sound with clean staples. Minor hand-soiling to the wrappers and a small dampstain at the lower gutter, visible but unobtrusive. Interior pages remain clean and bright with no writing, tears, or significant wear.
+++ An attractive, well-preserved example of an ephemeral World's Fair promotional publication.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: THE CUBAN PAVILION AT THE 1939 WORLD'S FAIR
Produced to promote tourism and cultural exchange during the New York World's Fair, this beautifully designed brochure presents Cuba as an exotic yet accessible destination only ninety miles from the United States. Its lively text celebrates the island's beaches, highways, Havana nightlife, mountain scenery, architecture, sports, and hospitality while encouraging American visitors to continue beyond the Fair and experience Cuba firsthand.
The brochure reflects Cuba's energetic international tourism campaign during the late 1930s, immediately preceding the dramatic political and social transformations that would reshape the island two decades later.

CONRADO MASSAGUER—THE FACE OF MODERN CUBAN DESIGN
One of the defining figures of twentieth-century Cuban graphic design, Conrado Walter Massaguer (1889–1965) helped establish the visual identity of modern Cuba through illustration, advertising, magazine publishing, and commercial art. His elegant Art Deco style blended European modernism with Caribbean sophistication, making him one of Latin America's most influential graphic artists.

His work appeared in magazines, advertising campaigns, tourist promotions, and international exhibitions, including Cuba's participation in the 1939 New York World's Fair. Today Massaguer's original designs are increasingly sought by collectors of Art Deco, graphic design, Cuban cultural history, and World's Fair ephemera.

A TOURIST PARADISE BEFORE THE REVOLUTION
Created at the height of Cuba's pre-war tourist industry, the brochure offers a fascinating snapshot of the island as it wished to be seen by American travelers. Illustrated spreads feature Havana, Varadero Beach, mountain landscapes, highways, marinas, architecture, agriculture, and recreation, all presented through a sophisticated Art Deco visual language.

Unlike later tourist literature, this publication documents Cuba during the final decades before the Revolution, preserving both its promotional ambitions and its cultural self-image during one of the country's most optimistic periods.
 
SUBJECTS: 1939 New York World's Fair, Cuba, Conrado W. Massaguer, Havana, Cuban Pavilion, Art Deco Illustration, Travel Promotion, Latin American Graphic Design, Tourism History, Caribbean Ephemera ,Art Deco, Travel Ephemera, World's Fair, Tourism, Graphic Design, Cuban History.

Item #22253

Price: $75.00