Frank S. Nicholson’s 1936 travel poster Discover Puerto Rico U.S.A. Where the Americas meet presents the island through an arresting conjunction of history and coastal light. A monumental cannon occupies the foreground, its rounded brown barrel and accompanying cannonballs silhouetted against brilliant blue water. Beyond it, a sunlit coastline rises towards small red-roofed buildings and a distant lighthouse, while sweeping lettering turns the sky itself into the poster’s principal field of communication.

Created when colourful posters promoted journeys by rail and steamship as well as resort holidays, Nicholson’s design belongs to a period in which destinations were distilled into memorable graphic propositions. Puerto Rico is offered not simply as a tropical retreat, but as a meeting point: geographically poised between the Caribbean and the Atlantic, and politically presented through the emphatic addition of “U.S.A.” The slogan “Where the Americas meet” makes that position central to the island’s appeal, compressing geography, culture and tourism into a single polished phrase.

A closer look

The cannon gives the composition its unusual force. Positioned low and close, it appears substantially larger than anything else in the scene, projecting towards the open sea from a simply rendered stone platform. Direct light catches its cylindrical surface, while softer brown shadows describe its weight and curvature. Two spherical cannonballs sit nearby. Their compact forms echo the cannon’s rounded contours and reinforce the sense of an old defensive emplacement without identifying a particular fortress.

From this dark, solid foreground, the eye moves outwards across a much lighter expanse. Fine, gently curving marks suggest movement on the water, where two small sailing boats lend scale to the bay. On the right, muted ochres and greens articulate the cliffs; above them, small buildings are reduced to clean verticals and warm red roofs. The distant lighthouse, with its simplified lantern section, marks the far edge of the coastline and extends the poster’s maritime character from military history to navigation and travel.

Typography is integrated into the landscape rather than treated as a separate caption. “DISCOVER” and “U.S.A.” appear in firm display lettering, while “PUERTO RICO” unfolds in a large, elegant script across the upper register. Beneath it, the decorative treatment of “WHERE THE Americas MEET” introduces a second rhythm of capitals and flowing letterforms. The sky grades from a saturated blue above to a paler tone near the horizon, giving this lettering generous space and sharpening the contrast between cool sea and sky, warm coast and dark cannon.

Context and significance

Puerto Rico had been under United States sovereignty since 1898, so the inclusion of “U.S.A.” carried more than a practical geographical function in 1936. It framed the island for an American tourist audience while the broader slogan emphasised its place within the interconnected Americas. The poster’s imagery performs a similar balancing act: the cannon points to a layered colonial and military past, but the clear weather, sailboats and bright coast recast that history as part of an inviting modern destination.

Nicholson favours the economy associated with period travel graphics: broad planes of colour, simplified architecture, strong tonal contrasts and an emphatic hierarchy between headline and scene. Yet the poster is more distinctive than a conventional promise of sunshine. Its dramatic foreground relic gives the view depth, narrative tension and a palpable sense of place, while the receding coast opens into the expansive horizon on which the language of discovery is written.

Choosing the right size and finish

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The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.

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