Vintage advertisement posters are much sought after, and have been recognized for their artistic merit as well giving us a chance to look at days gone by. There have even been dedicated exhibitions of such posters in art museums. I like these nostalgic images and will post a few grouped per theme. Today's theme is "La Douce France", travel posters promoting France, mainly sourced from the excellent Arts and Artists blog. The image above is created via Photofunia and is free from copyright issues.
Menton (1900)
One of many great travel posters for the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée railway company. Menton is a coast side town on the French Riviera, close to the Italian border. The poster was designed by Alesi.
Talloires (1910)
Another poster for the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée railway company. Talloires is a popular resort in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France, on the famous Lake Annecy. The illustration is by Paul and Robert Besnard.
Kaysersberg (around 1910)
Switching to another railway company, the Chemins de Fer d'Alsace et de Lorraine. Kaysersberg is a historical town in Alsace. The high fortress that dominates the town (also depicted in the poster) serves as a reminder of both its strategic importance and its warlike past. No information about the designer.
Saint Malo (around 1910)
Switching from the East of France to the West, where we take a train of the Chemins de Fer de l'Etat company to the old pirate town of Saint Malo on the Emerald Coast. The poster was designed by Maurice Toussant.
Fontainebleau/Avon (around 1920)
Fontainebleau (and its neighbour Avon) is a commune south-southeast of Paris. Its main attraction is the historic Château de Fontainebleau, which once belonged to the kings of France. The poster is credited to by Julien Lacaze.
The Brittany Coast (around 1920)
Back to the west coast, the rugged and beautiful Brittany coast, once more a railway advertisement. This poster is also by Julien Lacaze.
Langeais (1927)
Langeais is a small town in the area of the Loire valley with countless beautiful castles. As so often the poster was made to advertise the railway connection to the destination, in this case the Chemin de Fer de Paris a Orléans. Poster design by Constant Duval.
Mont-Saint-Michel (around 1930)
One of the most impressive things to see in France outside Paris: Mont-Saint-Michel, a tidal island with a medieval town in Normandy. It is visited by more than 3 million people each year. Poster by L. Pecheuy.
Dunkerque (around 1930)
We continue criss cross through France, now to the North West coast town Dunkerque, and again by train (Chemin de Fer du Nord). This is one of my favourite posters in today's post. Kudos to designer Roger Broders.
Bandol (1932)
Bandol is a small village west of Toulon at the Côte d'Azur (Blue Coast). The poster does a good job advertising it as a resort for summer ad winter. The design is by Roger Broders.
Corsica (around 1935)
By far the largest island of France, Corsica (north of Sardinia) is less easy to reach than most tourist attractions. Maybe one day we'll get there. Design once more by Roger Broders.
Vichy (around 1935)
Especially for my wife, who has good memories of our visit to this city. It was famous as one of the most prominent Spas in Europe, and infamous as the location for the collaborating French government during the German occupation. Design by Roger Broders.
Copyright statement: posting lower quality vintage advertisement posters is deemed fair use.
