This is an original Japanese B2 promotional poster produced in Shōwa 41 (1966) to recruit applicants for the 6th “Miss Air France” contest in Japan (第6回 ミス・エールフランス 募集). Far more than a beauty-pageant advert, this was a major mid-1960s publicity campaign tying together Air France and Japanese entertainment/media partners—designed to discover a new “star” and send the winner to Europe (a concept Air France Japan has referenced historically in relation to the Miss Air France Japan title).
Event background
The Miss Air France contest in Japan is closely associated with talent scouting and celebrity-making in the Shōwa era—several participants later entered the entertainment world, including performers who were recruited into Shochiku after placing in the contest.
On this poster, the campaign’s pitch is explicit: applicants could become “Shochiku’s new star”, with the grand prize tied to Air France travel to Paris/Europe and a highly commercial “dream prizes” package.
Poster design
A brilliant, instantly readable piece of mid-century Japanese commercial graphic design, built around French tricolour cues and travel imagery: the bold MISS AIR FRANCE masthead, a jet flying over a stylised Europe route map, and a charming illustrated cityscape along the bottom. The dense Japanese copy blocks list eligibility, deadlines, screening dates, and prizes, making it a rare surviving artefact of how international airlines and Japanese studios marketed glamour, travel, and stardom in the 1960s.
Condition
Very Good / Excellent. Please review the photos—they show the exact poster for sale.
It is over 59 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.
