Salies de Béarn station thérmale et touristique 1931

Created in 1931, this original travel poster by René Roussel was commissioned by the Chemins de Fer de Paris à Orléans et du Midi (Paris-Orléans and Midi Railway Companies) to promote Salies-de-Béarn, one of the most renowned spa towns in southwestern France. Encouraging rail travel to the region, the poster presents the town as both a celebrated thermal destination and an attractive holiday resort, highlighting its curative waters, leisure facilities, and picturesque architecture.

Roussel captures one of Salies-de-Béarn's most iconic landmarks, the Maison sur Pilotis, the medieval house built above the Saleys River. Rendered in bold, luminous colors, the historic building dominates the composition, its timber-framed upper stories and stone foundations reflected in the gently flowing water below. Small figures strolling along the riverbanks animate the peaceful scene, while the intense blue sky and warm ochre tones evoke the bright sunshine of the Béarn countryside.

The poster perfectly illustrates the decorative style of French travel advertising during the interwar years. Rather than striving for photographic realism, René Roussel simplifies architectural forms into bold masses of color and dramatic contrasts, creating an image that is both inviting and highly memorable. The elegant typography complements the illustration while emphasizing the destination's principal attractions: its thermal spa, casino, swimming pool, golf course, and reputation for treating ailments affecting women and children, reflecting the medical tourism that flourished during the period.

Since the nineteenth century, Salies-de-Béarn had earned an international reputation for its exceptionally saline thermal springs, whose waters were considered among the richest in Europe. The arrival of the railway transformed the town into a fashionable destination where health treatments, leisure, and tourism combined to attract visitors from across France and beyond. Posters such as this played an important role in promoting regional travel and showcasing the charm of France's spa towns.

Original railway travel posters from the Paris-Orléans and Midi railway networks are among the most desirable examples of French transportation advertising. Produced in relatively limited quantities for railway stations and travel agencies, many were discarded after use, making well-preserved originals increasingly scarce.

Today, this original Salies-de-Béarn poster is admired for its outstanding decorative quality, vibrant color palette, and historical significance. It appeals to collectors of French railway posters, thermal spa advertising, Art Deco travel graphics, and regional French heritage, standing as a beautiful testament to the golden age of illustrated tourism promotion.

Original Poster

Aquitaine - Railway - Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Casino - Swimming pool - Golf

Printed by Chaix in Paris

Good condition, small tears