Paris-Saint-Lazare à Londres poster  Chemin de Fer de L’Etat and Southern Railway poster. Rene Péan – 1927

Paris-Saint-Lazare à Londres poster Chemin de Fer de L’Etat and Southern Railway poster. Rene Pean – 1927

This is a reproduction vintage travel poster by Rene Pean, one of our favourite artists and poster designers. The Paris-Saint-Lazare à Londres poster was created in the 1920s to promote rail travel services between Paris-St-Lazare and London Victoria. The London poster was published jointly between the Chemins de Fer de l’Etat aka the French State Railway and Southern Railway. Rene Pean has chosen Bankside Pier as his vantage point for the view over the River Thames. In the painting, Pean portrays a busy working river filled with a variety of small boats, steamers and large ships, moored or milling about on the water. The large red and yellow ship in the foreground depicts men on board. Their inclusion offers us an idea of the size of the ship and the amount of produce the man working on the ladder is unsheeting.

The backdrop to Pean’s Londres St Paul et la Tamise poster artwork is the skyline of the Ludgate Hill in the City of London. The riverside view is dominated by the grand dome and surrounding church spires of Sir Christopher Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral. The impressive cathedral, its soaring dome and stately facade, has been a part of the city’s skyline for over 300 years. The view from Bankside across the River Thames of St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the most iconic in all of London and has been used for many fine art paintings.

The text on the poster reads, paris-St-Lazare à Londres-Victoria via Dieppe and Newhaven. It states the channel crossing takes 2 hours 45 minutes and that the service is an economical and comfortable journey on the fastest, large turbine steamers in the Channel!

Other London travel posters

Just like the image on this vintage Jet Your Way To London by BOAC poster, Tower Bridge has long been a source of inspiration for poster artists over the decades. Some popular examples include Rene Pean’s Paris à Londres poster featuring a Beefeater stood at the side of the River Thames with the iconic landmark ghosted in the background.Following a similar theme is a 1935 London-Reisen poster by Ottomar Anton that replaces the Yeoman Guard with a horse guard from the Household Cavalry. A vintage travel poster with a different view of the bridge is a turn of the century poster produced for the Chemins de Fer de l’Ouest by H Colb. The view from up on the bridge itself is superb. The added humour of a policeman clearing up after the horses makes it special!

Other vintage London posters focus more on London’s clock tower, now known as Elizabeth Tower, the home of the famous bell Big Ben. One such poster is Maurice Toussaint’s Visitez L’Angleterre travel poster that depicts The pageantry of The Opening of Parliament at Westminster or Toussaint’s London Paris á Londres poster print depicting London at the beginning of the 1900s. A poster for Southern Railway Londres by an unknown artist offers a bird’s eye view of the city with the clock tower featuring prominently. A poster for Qantas airlines by Austrlian artist Harry Rogers also features the clock tower and the Houses of Parliament.

In 1946, Frank Mason produced a personal favorite featuring London’s St Paul’s Cathedral from across the River Thames for the Great Western Railway. It’s a superb image and a great looking poster. As is James Bateman’s poster for the London and North Eastern Railway for their ongoing It’s Quicker By Rail advertising campaign. Ernest Coffin‘s ariel view of London for the GWR is half map, half pictorial image, is superb and well worth a mention. And we can’t leave this article without including Frank Mason’s London Pride poster portraying the scene down the River Thames towards the Houses of Parliament.

To be honest we currently have over 100 stunning London and London related posters on our website. So this isn’t the only one you’re going to love. Fly on over to the “Add to Basket” button then have a look for some more!

How much is an original Paris-Saint-Lazare à Londres poster worth?

Rene Pean’s Paris-Saint-Lazare à Londres poster offers us a wonderful glimpse of London’s historic waterfront at a time the river was at its busiest. René Pean’s posters were designed to capture the imagination of potential passengers, and they certainly succeeded in their task. With their bright colors and bold images, the posters are some of the most iconic pieces of travel advertising ever produced. Today, they are highly sought-after by collectors. Original copies of this Paris-Saint-Lazare à Londres poster are rare and sought-after. At the time of listing (2021) we could only find one copy available to buy. It wasn’t in mint condition but it was still commanding an asking price of €1800.

This seems like a fair price for an original vintage travel poster that is over 100 years old. There’s no argument from us, if you can find an original copy and can afford to buy it, you’re on to a winner. There’s nothing like owning an original vintage poster and they often make a great investment. Chances are in just a few years you’ll be able to sell it for more than you paid for it. Unfortunately, for most of us, an investment, even at the entry-level prices of the collectible poster isn’t even close to being a possibility. This is where our stunning high-quality reproductions come into their own. They cost a fraction of an original and look absolutely fantastic when they’re framed and hung on your living room wall.

If you’re looking for a unique way to show your love for London, then this vibrant and colorful poster is the perfect addition to any home, office, or bedroom. So whether you’re a visitor to London or a lifelong resident, this is one poster that is sure to add a touch of style to your home decor. Get the London look, order your copy today.