Route des Alpes poster – Vintage PLM L’Oisans travel poster – Rene Pean c1900

Route des Alpes poster – Vintage PLM L’Oisans travel poster – Rene Pean c1900 Quite frankly we consider this turn of the century Routes des Alpes poster created for the PLM to be one of Rene Pean’s best poster designs. And that’s saying something! He was a prolific artist who created a great number of stunning travel posters between 1895 and 1905. This Routes des Alpes affiche was produced by the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée. The French railway company was better known throughout the world as the PLM. Back at the start of the twentieth century, most of France was serviced by its collection of railway networks. However, the cost implications of extending the network to include the French Alps was prohibitive. The Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée railway were unable or unwilling to build a railway line through the steep foothills of the Alpine mountains to link Evian to Nice. It was down to the automobile to conquer the 651 kilometer journey through the mountains and valleys. PLM’s first tourists on the Route des Alpes By 1913, the PLM had enabled the complete crossing of the route of the Alps. PLMs famous “Alpine Coaches” carried their first tourists over the Alpine Mountains. The was covered in five stages. The Route Des Alps would begin at Thonon or Evian les Bains on the shores of Lake Geneva and progress through the Haute Savoie region to Chamonix. The road then continued to Annecy, Aix les Bains and Chambery before arriving at Grenoble. From Grenoble the journey would proceed through Uriage to Bourg d’Oisans at the foot of the Alpe d’Huez. The next villages on the route would be la Grave, Lautaret, Briancon and Barcelonnette. The final stretch of the journey would take in Guillaumes, Puget-Theniers before reaching the final destination of Nice onthe Meditteranean Coast. Link roads would provide access to, amongst other mountain villages, Aoste, Annecy, Chambery and Grenoble. Most of the destinations on the Route des Alps received a railway travel poster of their own. Pean’s Route des Alpes poster focusses on the Isére and Haut-Alpes region of the French Alps. The department is home to six main valleys and is surrounded by the Massif de L’Oisins which includes the majestic La Meije mountain. Pean’s painting depicts one of the PLMs charabancs making the journey on the steep winding road from Grenoble to Briançon over the high mountain pass of the Col du Lautaret. The Alpine bus is full of tourists taking in the view of the 78km long Romansche mountain river down below. Le Bourg-d’Oisins The Oisins region is a vast, beautiful, and very popular region in the French Alps. Le Bourg-d’Oisans offers an exceptional diversity of landscapes, from vast plateaus, green valleys, and prestigious mountain peaks to lakes, waterfalls, and glaciers. Oisans has long been a favourite destination for tourists, hikers, and mountain lovers. It also features regularly in the Tour de France cycle race. The Mont-Blanc mountain range is the most grandiose of the Alpine massifs and is a paradise for mountaineers and a stunning playground for skiers. The Route des Grande Alpes The legendary, historical Route des Grandes Alpes is still a hugely popular tourist attraction in its own right. La Route des Grande Alpes is a scenic mountain road that crosses the French and Swiss Alps. The route follows the valleys of the Rhône and Dora Baltea rivers and passes through several picturesque towns, including Chamonix, Courmayeur, and Aosta. The route now stretches for over 200 miles. It winds its way through some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in Europe. The road reaches a maximum elevation of nearly 9,000 feet at the Col de la Bonette pass and offers stunning views of some of the Alps’ highest peaks, including Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. La Haute Route des Alpes between Lake Geneva and the French Riviera is considered one of the most scenic roads in the world. Since this beautiful Route des Alpes poster was created, the excursion has been extended. The historic destination point is no longer at Nice on the Mediterranean Sea. The legendary trip now continues on to Menton on the French Riviera, making the fabulous route from Lake Leman to the Menton. The entire trip now an incredible 684 km (425mi) long, encompassing 16 passes that are among the highest in the Alps. The Route des Grandes Alpes is Europe’s highest road,  and is one of the region’s absolute must-dos. Rene Pean – poster artist René Pean, born in Paris on 1 July 1875. He was a French painter, poster artist and illustrator. In 1881 he began training under the guidance of Jules Cheret. At Cheret’s Chaix printing house. Pean created many posters for some of Paris’s most influential entertainment establishments including the Theatre Cluny, the Trocadero, and the Moulin Rouge. He also produced beautiful posters for famous French department stores including A la Place Clichy and Aux Trois Quartiers. Between 1895 and 1913 he is known to have created some 150 posters. Péan is probably best known for his work for the Chemins de Fer. Personal favorites include his turn-of-the-century print for the Chemins de Fer ‘Paris à Londres’ and a second Route Des Alpes poster for the Alpine village of Col de Vars. Two of his posters were also chosen to form part of Jules Chéret’s Maitres de l’Affiche collection. Over the last couple of decades, original René Péan posters have become more and more sought after. This has obviously had an impact on the prices at auction. Original lithographic copies of this wonderful print, now command prices in excess of 2,000 euros. 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. So, whether you’re looking for a unique piece of art to hang in your living room or a nostalgic gift for a Francophile friend, our reproduction travel poster is sure to please. If you’re looking to add a little je ne sais quoi to your home décor, our Route des Alpes print is just perfect for you.