VENICE SIMPLON WOMAN POSTER

This sleek poster designed in an art deco style evokes those bygone days when overnight travel by train in a private compartment in a sleeper car was for the rich, cosmopolitan crowd. The sophisticated traveler here is in her dressing gown, smoking a cigarette before bed. Outside, the train is shown streaking along the tracks. At the bottom is the name of the railway company -– Venice Simplon Orient Express -- offering its London-Paris-Venice service.

When this poster was printed in 1992 (the second printing), planes had long ago eclipsed trains as the most popular method of transcontinental travel. The Venice Simplon Orient Express, a private luxury train service with five-star dining, was promoting its train travel experience by selling something the airlines were not offering: nostalgia for the old days of travel that catered exclusively to the rich.

The designer of this poster was Pierre Fix-Masseau (1905-1994), a French graphic designer who was one of the prominent poster designers of the art deco period. His posters, like this one he designed in 1981, often had transportation themes and showed sleek ships, cars and trains. 

Step back in time with this fun art deco style poster celebrating the elegance and sophistication of train travel!

Condition:  A