$40.5
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Venice Simplon Orient Express, Paris poster by Pierre Fix-Masseau Here we offer a superb reproduction of an art deco inspired poster for the Venice Simplon Orient Express railway journey. Probably the best-known railway journey in the world. The poster is one of six created in 1979 to promote the reinstatement of the legendary Orient Express train journey that at the time ran between London, Paris, Milan, and Venice. Masseau’s poster artwork idea is simple but cleverly thought-out and extremely well executed. Using a brown background to mimic the polished wood and beautiful marquetry of the Orient Express railway carriage interiors. On top of the brown background, Masseau has added a series of the famous blue railway sleeper carriages running across the middle of the poster. These carriages link up across the six poster to create on long image of the train. A large silhouette of the Eiffel Tower appears on the left hand side of the poster. The tower reaching almost to the top of the print has the French tricolour flag waving in the wind at the top. By the end of the 19th century, Paris had established itself as the City of Love. Masseau has acknowledged the city’s popular moniker by adding a heart-shaped window within the poster to allow us to see what Paris has to offer. Inside the heart, we are offered a view looking down the length of the River Seine. The view takes in several of France’s famous bridges that span the 777km long river. As you look down the river Fix-Masseau has included the Louve Place on the left bank and the blue domed tower of The Palais de l’Institut de France, formerly the College of the Four Nations. Following the river leads the eye to the iconic Cathedral of Notre Dame. The Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits The Orient Express was Europe’s first transcontinental express. 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. Pullman carriages were the world’s first luxury railway sleeping cars. They offered cleanliness, comfort, beds, and exceptional service by friendly staff who catered to passengers’ comfort and needs. Disappointed by the standard of European trains, Nagelmackers made it his life’s work to set a new standard of travel in Europe that would rival or even beat that offered by the Pullman service. In 1874, Nagelmakers founded his company, the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits (The International Sleeping Car company). It didn’t take long before the Wagon-Lits trains gained a reputation throughout Europe for their luxurious coaches, unparalleled comfort, and unprecedented levels of onboard service. On 5th June 1883, the first regular service Express d’Orient left Paris for Vienna. It would be just four months later, on 4th October 1883, when The Orient Express left Paris for Constantinople with just forty passengers on board. The round trip lasted 13 days. Its impact cannot be overstated. As the Orient Express website itself states “With this one trip, the geography of Europe was turned upside down, and the notion of long-distance travel was completely redefined”. The legendary Orient Express In 1919, the Orient-Express unveiled it new midnight blue cars its the first Simplon-Orient-Express train. For the first time ever, Paris connected Istanbul via Milan and Venice and crossed the Simplon tunnel on a new route through the Alps. It was the start of a new era for the company. 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 paneling 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. Their masterpieces of refinement and luxury in Art Deco style and design embodied the excellence of French travel. 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 was unrivaled and made the train popular with high society, famous stars of the day, presidents and royalty. They all intermingled as they travelled in luxurious comfort throughout Europe. The 1920s and 1930s were the halcyon days for the legendary train. It truly was the Golden Age of Travel. Agatha Christie and the Murder on the Orient Express The train’s notoriety was significantly increased with the release of the classic mystery novel Murder on the Orient Express by crime writer Agatha Christie. The story begins just after midnight when a snowdrift stops the famous Orient Express in its tracks as it travels through the mountainous Balkans. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year but, by the morning, it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon, Mr Ratchett, lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Fortunately, one of the passengers is none other than the vacationing detective Hercule Poirot. Isolated and with a killer on board, Poirot must identify the murderer—in case he or she decides to strike again. Agatha Christie involves a lot of possible suspects and Poirot has a limited amount of time to solve the case. He must use all of his skills to figure out whodunnit. It’s not the legendary train’s only acting performance either. It appeared in the 1963 James Bond film From Russia With Love and Around the world in 80 days. In fact, 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. The last hoorah of The Orient Express On May 20th, 1977, the Orient Express made its last direct trip between Paris and Istanbul. The ever-growing airline industry was able to offer, faster and cheaper flights, and just like the railways had done 100 years before, they were cornering the market in travel. By the end of the twentieth century, the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits couldn’t compete any longer and was forced to sell some of its railway cars at auction. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) is a train service that still provides the classic London-Paris-Milan-Venice service. It is currently owned by Belmond, which operates 45 luxury hotels, restaurants, tourist trains, and river cruises in 24 countries. The VSOE train is aimed at tourists looking to take a luxury train journey. The service is intended to be a high-quality nostalgic event with five-star dining. The train was established in 1982 by Kentuckian, James Sherwood who in 1977 bought two original carriages at an auction when the Wagon-Lits company withdrew from the Orient Express service. Over the next few years, Sherwood spent a total of US$16 million purchasing 35 sleeper, restaurant, and Pullman carriages in order to reinstate the service. On 25 May 1982, the first London-Paris-Milan-Venice run was made. The VSOE Mainland European train contains 18 carriages – 12 sleeping cars, three dining cars, a bar car, and two former Ytb class sleepers, which provide accommodation for the staff and storage rooms for luggage and supplies as well. The ten Lx class sleepers have nine double compartments, while the two S1 class sleepers used to accommodate 17 passengers in four double and nine single compartments. Despite the resurrection of the Venice Simplon Orient Express company and the other similar train journeys that now exist in Europe, they’re no match for the opulence and mystery offered by the original. This Venice Simplon Orient Express poster by the artist Fix Masseau is one of a set of six posters he created to promote the opening of service. Each poster embodies the quality, elegance and luxury associated with the original Orient. Express train. This poster was used to promote the once-a-week London-Paris-Venice service. 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.
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