$40.5
$53.87
Venice Simplon Orient Express poster – VSOE The Madonna of the Sleeping Car poster – Masseau This is a high-quality reproduction of a classic Venice Simplon Orient Express poster by the artist Fix Masseau. It is one of a set of six posters he created to promote the opening of the new service. Each poster embodies the quality, elegance, and luxury associated with the original Orient. Express train. This Venice Simplon Orient Express poster was used to promote the once-a-week London-Paris-Venice service with a stop at Milan. The series of posters has long since sold out and is only available through online auctions and private sales. The sets are very rare and hard to find. Most sets have now been broken down into individual posters, each commanding a price of up to £500. Masseau’s truly iconic image captures the allure and mystique of the Orient Express, a luxury train that, in its heyday, was synonymous with glamour, romance, and intrigue. The Venice Simplon Orient Express poster depicts an elegant young woman in a long, blue dressing gown standing in her dimly-lit sleeping car. Reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, she takes one last cigarette before bed while she waits for her husband to reappear. We spot him getting ready in the bathroom, through a partition window in the beautifully wood-panelled door. The woman’s serene expression and elegant pose evoke a sense of peace and tranquility, amidst the hustle and bustle of the train journey. The woman in the Venice Simplon Orient Express poster is often referred to as the “Madonna of the Sleeping Car,” though this was not Fix-Masseau’s original intention. The nickname likely comes from the novel “The Madonna of the Sleeping Cars” by Maurice Dekobra, which was published in 1927 and tells the story of a mysterious woman who travels on the Orient Express. The novel was hugely popular and helped to cement the Orient Express’s image as a place where anything could happen. The Art Deco style of Masseau’s fabulous Venice Simplon Orient Express poster, with its geometric shapes and bold colors, adds to the overall sense of luxury and sophistication. Venice Simplon Orient Express – VSOE – The Orient Express The Orient Express was Europe’s first transcontinental express. It was a luxury train that ran from Paris to Constantinople (now Istanbul) for 94 years. The train was the brainchild of the Belgian businessman, Georges Nagelmakers who whilst travelling in America, was inspired by the railway sleeping cars designed and manufactured by George Pullman. Compared to the European trains, Pullman carriages offered cleanliness, comfort, and friendly staff who catered to passengers’ comfort and beds. Nagelmaker returned to Europe with a vision to create his own, more luxurious train. In 1873 he had formed the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits company and on 5th June 1883, the first regular service Express d’Orient left Paris for Vienna. Taking its lead from the world’s high-class hotels the Orient Express offered the ultimate in luxury. The walls of the railcars were made of intricate wood panelling made from Cuban mahogany, featuring glass panel inlays designed by the famous glass designer René Lalique. Velvet curtains were imported from Italy and tapestries were produced by the historic Parisian tapestry factory Gobelins. The carriages contained deluxe leather armchairs whilst silk sheets and woolen blankets adorned the beds in sleeper cars. Nagelmaker’s train featured the first restaurant cars to be offered on a continental train. The restaurant car would offer fine wines and champagne served with elaborate meals of oysters, Beluga caviar, Scottish Salmon, Fillet of beef, and more. The luxury on offer on board the Orient Express was unrivaled and made the train popular with high society, famous stars of the day, presidents, and royalty. It was also popular with spies. The train’s notoriety was also increased when the train featured in the film Murder on the Orient Express, based on the 1934 Agatha Christie novel. It’s not its only acting performance either. It appeared in the 1963 James Bond films From Russia With Love and Around the World in 80 Days. The train has featured in at least 14 films and 17 novels. It has made countless television appearances and features in at least 15 computer games. Nagelmackers’s train made its last full journey in 1977, and though similar train lines still exist in Europe, they’re no match for the opulence and mystery offered by the original. In 1977 an American-born British-based businessman named James Sherwood bought two original Orient Express Carriages carriages at an auction when the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits withdrew from the Orient Express service. Over the next few years, Sherwood spent a total of US$16 million purchasing 35 sleeper carriages, restaurants, and Pullman carriages. Then in 1982, he founded the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSEO), a privately run luxury train service aimed at tourists. On 25 May 1982, the first London–Venice trip was made. Once a year, in August, the VSEO returns to its original route, making the same journey that it did on its maiden voyage in October 1883. The 9-day luxury rail journey, carried out in unsurpassed style on the world’s greatest rail journey is available in 2021 from £18,995 per passenger, including flights. A trip of a lifetime. We wish we could do it!
Railway Posters
