L'Europe Nouvelle Circa 1919

This fascinating original poster, titled “L’Europe Nouvelle”, presents a vivid political map of Europe and the world as reshaped by the Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919 at the conclusion of the First World War. Designed as both a geopolitical document and a piece of popular education, this poster illustrates the dramatic territorial changes that followed the collapse of major empires, including Austro-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Tsarist Russia.

Above the map, portraits of key world leaders — including Georges Clemenceau, David Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson, and Vittorio Orlando — remind viewers of the figures who shaped this “new Europe.” The map itself highlights newly established or reconfigured nations such as Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and the Baltic states, rendered in bright, contrasting colors to emphasize their modernity and political relevance.

In the lower portion of the poster, a trio of popular songs of the day is included, complete with lyrics and the names of composers and performers. This unusual combination of cartographic education and musical entertainment suggests the poster was marketed to a broad popular audience, blending postwar optimism with cultural vibrancy.

Carte - Guerre - 14-18

Frontières et nouveaux États créés par le traité de Versailles

Libraire Hayard, Paris

Bon état, traces de plis