La Route Des Vosges Poster, En Trois Etapes – Julien Lacaze – 1925

La Route Des Vosges Poster, En Trois Etapes – Julien Lacaze – 1925

La Route des Vosges is a scenic mountain road that runs through the Vosges Mountains in eastern France. With the advent of the automobile, the region became a popular destination for tourists. The 170km journey between Strasburg and Mulhouse by car and more popularly char-a-banc’s or charabancs offered visitors.

In the early 1900s, travel was becoming more accessible and less expensive, and people were beginning to explore new places for leisure. The invention of the motor car made it possible to travel further and faster than ever before, and soon early tourists were venturing into the Vosges Mountains in search of fresh air and beautiful scenery. They would travel by charabanc, a kind of open-sided bus, taking in the sights of Colmar and the surrounding area. These early tourists were often wealthy people from major cities who were used to comfort and luxury. They would stay in lavish hotels and spas, enjoying all that the Vosges had to offer.

The success of the charabanc, in the 1920s, only lasted a few short years. They were, what we would now consider to be large single-decker buses. They were normally open-top, with a large canvas folding hood stowed at the rear in case of rain, much like a convertible motor car. When it started to rain the hood would have to be pulled into position. As well as offering little protection from the rain it also offered little or no protection to the passengers in the event of an overturning accident. The ‘bus’ had a high centre of gravity, especially when fully or overloaded. The charabancs often travelled on winding mountain roads that were not much more than tracks and led to many fatal accidents, which contributed to the early demise of the vehicle.

This early French travel poster was created by Julien Lacaze for the Chemins de Fer d’Alsace et de Lorraine or the French Alsace and Lorraine Railway in 1925. At this time the Railway would also run the charabanc service to tourists in addition to their train service. The image depicts the stunningly beautiful scenery of the Swiss mountain range on La Route des Vosges somewhere between Strasbourg and Mulhouse.  The route is well-known for its stunning views, which include alpine meadows, forests, and hills.

Lacaze has made a char-a-banc the focus of the image. It is shown carrying a dozen or more tourists up a long and winding mountain road. It is heading towards an archway tunnel carved out of the cliff face. Lacaze’s image is probably set near the Munster Valley at Colmar. It is a popular destination for walkers and hikers and Lacaze has referenced this in the poster’s image. A young woman and man are sitting high up off the road on the left of the illustration and a third man can just be seen at the bottom of the image climbing up towards them.

La Route Des Vosges

According to the text on the French La Route des Vosges affiche, the route is broken down into three sections The first section starts at Strasbourg on the French-German border and finishes at the medieval town of Selestat. From Selestat the journey continues to the beautiful city of Colmar renowned for its well-preserved old town. The third and final section starts at Colmar and finishes at Mulhouse on the Swiss-French border.

For over 150 years Alsace has been a must-see tourist destination. The region is home to Strasbourg, Colmar, and Mulhouse – all of which contain exceptional examples of European architecture. Strasbourg, in particular, is a veritable treasure trove of architecture, with its medieval Old Town and grand Gothic cathedral. Visitors to Colmar will be enchanted by its quaint streets and romantic half-timbered houses, And while Mulhouse may not be as well-known as some of its neighbours, it is nonetheless home to a number of impressive Art Nouveau buildings, including the Maison du Danube. Even today, Strasbourg, Selestat, Colmar and Mulhouse are considered the four must-see Alsatian cities.

La Route des Vosges is a beautiful poster that captures the essence of the French countryside. It is an excellent example of early twentieth-century travel advertising. The poster is quite rare and highly sought after and can fetch up to £5,000 when featured at auctio

Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as a fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.

The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £12. So you can bag a bargain of print and frame for a great price.