Issued by the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français in 1939, this original poster promoted the SNCF’s tourist motor-coach services across southern and southwestern France. Published only a year after the creation of the national railway company, it illustrates how road excursions were used to extend the reach of the rail network.
The central map presents a remarkable selection of routes through the Pyrenees, Languedoc, Limousin, Quercy, Périgord and Saintonge. Colored lines distinguish the different tourist circuits, connecting important destinations such as Royan, Bordeaux, Bayonne, Luchon, Périgueux, Brive, Rocamadour, Cahors, Millau and Montpellier.
A photographic view of Rocamadour provides a picturesque focal point above the map, while the bold black title immediately communicates the purpose of the poster. Early SNCF emblems appear at the bottom alongside expressive lettering naming the principal regions covered by the services. The restrained palette of ochre, green, red and black gives the composition a distinctive late-1930s character.
These tourist coaches allowed travelers to continue beyond railway stations and discover coastal resorts, mountain landscapes, historic towns and rural monuments. The poster therefore served both as an attractive advertisement and as a practical guide to the available circuits. It was printed in Paris by Henri Dannaud.
With its detailed cartography, early SNCF identity and unusual combination of railway and automobile tourism, this original 1939 poster is particularly appealing to collectors of French transportation, travel maps and pre-war graphic design. Its large vertical format also gives it a strong decorative presence.
Original poster
Railway - Automobile - Map
SNCF - Pyrénées - Languedoc - Limousin - Quercy - Perigord - Saintonge
Henri Dannaud Paris
Good condition, folds, dirt
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