From Monarchy to Modernity: Travel, Identity, & the Czechoslovak First Republic (1918–1938) at Poster House

Poster House, the first museum in the United States dedicated to the global history of posters, will present four new exhibitions for the spring 2026 season. The two capsule exhibitions, Reading Under Fire: Arming Minds & Hearts During Wartime and From Monarchy to Modernity: Travel, Identity, & the Czechoslovak First Republic (1918–1938), will open to the public on April 23, 2026 and close on November 1, 2026.

From Monarchy to Modernity explores travel posters produced during a pivotal period in European history. Following the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of World War I, Czechoslovakia declared independence in October 1918, forming a new democratic state which became known as the First Republic.

Focusing on rarely seen posters from the First Republic, the exhibition shows how tourism functioned as a form of soft power. Designers, artists and commercial studios used travel imagery to reframe national identity, presenting Czechoslovakia as modern, prosperous and culturally distinct from its imperial past. These posters targeted both domestic and international audiences, positioning the young nation as a destination of opportunity, beauty and progress.

Together, the works reveal how graphic design helped construct a new national narrative during a brief but influential democratic era.