Sintra Bronte in a Wet T-shirt Jamaica Canvas Art Poster Modern Wall Art Picture Print Family Bedroom Decor Painting 12×18inch(30×45cm)

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The rationale for choosing Sintra over a Jamaican national was explained in this video featuring Anthony Abrahams, who was Jamaica's Director of Tourism from 1970-1975. He noted that at the time, there was a lot of interest in China. The advertising agency had originally pitched the idea of featuring a Jamaican girl of Chinese descent to illustrate that the exoticism of the Far East was also alive and well in Jamaica.

The casting effort didn't go well, however, so Sintra was put forward instead, and the rest is history. Some 30+ years later, like the return of the ghost of yesterday’s past, the image is again being talked about. And it was through this buzz that I, like many other Jamaicans became aware of her name; Sintra Arunte-Bronte. It was for a promotional poster for the country's tourist board, and it helped make Jamaica the go-to destination of the Caribbean at the time.There was, at the time, an early wave of curiosity about China in the United States, and the then tourism director, Anthony Abrahams, liked the agency's idea of pushing the message that the exotic east was also present in nearby Jamaica.

The JTB, too, is very excited about the buzz that the posters are creating on social media. "This is a wonderful endorsement of the power of the original poster and we are thrilled to see this branding playing out on social media," tourism director Paul Pennicooke told Outlook.Special thanks to Anthony King, Noel Mignott, Winston Stona and Annette Stowe who assisted with this story.

About six versions of the poster were generated and it became an immediate smash across all demographics. A television commercial was also derived from the shoot. The JTB could hardly keep up with the demand for the poster. Sintra ended up living in Jamaica for a few years and she worked for the Special Projects Division of the JTB in Montego Bay. The Sebastian Books blog post went on to claim that “the image is being talked about now because the Jamaican Tourist Board is considering an upgrade”.

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However, one blogger wasn't so sure— he had assumed, like many other Jamaicans, that the 1972 poster girl was indigenous: aliciakeys definitely nailed the redo of this 1972 classic!😍😍😍 #aliciakeys #jamaica https://t.co/hpj6ywgvz8 Pride should be taken from within, especially in a situation of a national photo-shoot; the use of models [of] external nationalities sends a bad message. To my surprise and disappointment, she is not a Jamaican national. Disappointed, I say, because Jamaica has more than enough home grown models to choose from, but hey, reasons and politics behind that could be substantial.