Java and Bali Travel Poster: Isles of Romance, 1930s

“Java and Bali. Isles of Romance” is a classic Art Deco travel poster created to entice European visitors to the Dutch East Indies—today’s Indonesia. The artist’s name is lost to history, as was common for studio illustrators who worked anonymously on commission for shipping lines and tourist bureaus. With its glamorous geometry, streamlined forms, and alluring palette, the poster presents an idealized vision of Java and Bali, celebrating tropical warmth and ceremonial grace while reflecting the complex, colonial-era marketing that shaped early twentieth‑century travel.

This listing offers a museum-quality fine art print of the original poster, produced by The Unique Maps Co. on your choice of acid-free archival paper or artist’s cotton canvas. Prints are available in a range of sizes, with optional framing to arrive ready to hang. Personalization is welcomed—add a date, a dedication, or subtle captioning to commemorate a honeymoon, gap year, or once‑in‑a‑lifetime trip. Our color‑faithful restoration preserves the design’s vivid impact while retaining the charm of a vintage original.

About the maker: While the specific designer is unknown, the poster’s craftsmanship points to a talented studio artist working within a Dutch or colonial printing house during the interwar years, blending European Art Deco sensibilities with motifs drawn from Indonesian textiles and ceremony. Such artists excelled at converting atmosphere into iconography—distilling distant places into legible emblems of style and escape.

About the subject: Java and Bali have long captured the imaginations of travelers with their dramatic volcanoes and terraced landscapes, temple silhouettes, and renowned performing arts traditions. In its own time, a poster like this would have hung in European booking offices and ship terminals, promising ocean‑liner romance and island mystery. Today it stands as both a beautiful artifact of early tourism and a reminder of the era’s persuasive imagery and the colonial gaze it embodied.

About the design: The composition marries crisp, modern lettering with flowing ornament and costume details that suggest batik-inspired patterning. Saturated reds and golden yellows glow against richer purples and deep tonal accents, evoking heat, dusk, and festival light. Smooth, flat color planes and clean contours heighten the Art Deco drama, while the inventive title typography anchors the piece with chic authority. It’s a striking statement for interiors—especially alongside rattan or teak, black gallery frames, or mid‑century silhouettes—and a potent color story that enlivens hallways, living rooms, and creative studios alike.

This fine art print makes a thoughtful gift for anyone with a love of Indonesia—perfect for celebrating a recent trip to Bali or Java, commemorating a honeymoon, or delighting a traveler at Christmas, a birthday, Mother’s or Father’s Day, or a stylish housewarming.

If you're not sure what size to order, or you're looking for a custom order of some kind – a different size, a different colour, a special frame – then please contact me. I usually respond within a few minutes.

You can see an example of my fine art personalisation service in the fifth image. Zoom in and take a look. My personalised artwork is always very well received. Take a look at more examples of personalisation.

You can also choose to age your art print to make it look older. This is popular amongst my customers who want their artwork to look like an older, antique print. You can see an example of ageing in the sixth product image, or go ahead and check out lots of examples of other aged artwork.

The model in the listing images is holding the 24x36in (60x90cm) version of this art print.

I can print and frame this beautiful piece of art at sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). If you are looking for a size or framing option that isn't available online, please get in touch.

This artwork is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. My standard frames come in six colours (black, dark brown, dark grey, antique gold, oak and white), and custom framing is available for an additional charge. 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.