Messageries Maritimes Saigon vue des établissements de la compagnie 1897

This original 1897 poster was produced for the French shipping company Messageries Maritimes and is entitled Saigon – Vue des établissements de la compagnie, or “Saigon – View of the Company’s Premises”. It offers a rare photographic record of the company’s presence in Saigon, then part of French Indochina.

The central image presents the busy waterfront seen from the river. The company’s buildings extend along the shore, while a large ocean-going vessel lies at anchor beside the quay. Smaller local boats in the foreground emphasise the contrast between regional river traffic and the international maritime routes operated by Messageries Maritimes.

The monochrome photograph is surrounded by generous margins, with the company’s name and descriptive caption printed in restrained red lettering. This elegant and documentary presentation differs markedly from the colourful illustrated travel posters that became more common during the twentieth century.

Printed in Paris by Imprimerie Photographique Alfred Arnaud, the poster reflects the growing use of photography in late nineteenth-century commercial and institutional communication. It promoted the scale and modernity of the company’s overseas operations while documenting the architecture and maritime activity of colonial-era Saigon.

Both an evocative maritime image and a significant historical document, this original poster would make an important addition to a collection devoted to Messageries Maritimes, early photography, shipping history, Saigon or French colonial-era travel.

Original poster

Maritime Company - Vietnam - Asia

Alfred Aron Paris

Good condition