P.L.M. Menton - Billets à prix réduits 1905

This magnificent 1905 original poster by E. Louis Lessieux (1848–1925) was commissioned by the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée (P.L.M.) railway company to promote travel to the beautiful coastal town of Menton, near the Italian border on the Côte d’Azur. Lessieux, a noted painter and poster artist specialising in Mediterranean landscapes, captures the serene light and clear waters of the Riviera.

In the composition, a fisherman in a straw hat stands atop a rustic perch overlooking the tranquil sea, tending his nets with a small boat moored below. Behind him, the Alps rise majestically, their peaks still snow-capped even under the southern sun. The typography proudly advertises Menton as “à 14 heures ½ de Paris, 10 minutes de Monte Carlo,” underscoring its accessible glamour for early 20th-century French travellers.

Lessieux’s poster combines romantic naturalism with practical travel advertising, inviting visitors to enjoy “billets à prix réduits” (reduced-price tickets). His refined palette and balanced composition evoke the timeless allure of the Côte d’Azur – a place of mild winters, elegant promenades, and Riviera light that attracted artists, aristocrats, and travellers from across Europe.

This original lithograph remains a rare and elegant example of French Belle Époque travel posters, ideal for collectors of railway art, Riviera history, and golden age tourism ephemera.

Railway - Tourism - Alpes-Maritimes - France

2.5 hours from Paris - 10 minutes from Monte-Carlo

Printed by Ch. Verneau in Paris

Très bon état