La Touraine Chinon travel poster – James Richards – 1926

La Touraine Chinon travel poster – James Richards – 1926 Chinon is a UNESCO world heritage site in the Indre-et-Loire department in the heart of France’s Loire Valley. Chinon is ideally located at the crossroads of three ancient provinces: Touraine, Anjou, and Poitou. It played an important and strategic role during the Middle Ages, serving both French and English kings. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, it was a favorite resort of French kings and their nobles. In 1926, the Chemins de Fer d’Orleans et de l’Etat commissioned the artist James C. Richards to produce the artwork for this vintage Chinon travel poster. The poster was published by the Orleans State Railway and depicts a local fisherman punting his French ‘futreau’, a traditional flat-bottomed boat popular in the Loire region. The background is dominated by the magnificent Château d’Ussé . The medieval castle is believed to be the inspiration for Charles Perrault’s fairytale castle in “Sleeping Beauty”. Set further back along the riverbank is the Church of Saint Maurice set against the warm hues of the early morning sky. The 1920s travel poster was created as part of an ongoing series advertising destinations that could be visited as an excursion by automobile. Most of them feature large French chateaus and medieval castles. The Chinon poster reads La Touraine. Chinon. Circuits Automobiles au départ de Tours. Other Chemins de Fer French Chateau travel posters The Chemins de Fer or French State Railway produced dozens of travel posters advertising many historical destinations that could be visited by automobiles, often charrabancs organised by the Railway company. Here on heritage-posters.co.uk we are constantly adding reproduction copies of posters we discover. Some of our current favorites include a 1926 print by Constant Duval that features the magnificent chateau Chenonceaux . Duval’s 1922 poster advertises motor car tours in Touraine and features the impressive Chateau d’Ambroise. Paul Champseix’s 1926 poster featuring the Chateaux de la Loire Cheverny is another stunning example. Further exampes include Louis Tauzin’s 1920s Route des Pyranees poster. Roger Soubie’s colourful Route des Pyranées poster and Julien Lacaze’s Route des Alpes de Nice à Chamonix & à Evian are two personal favorites. The original posters were printed by Lucien Serre Cie Imprimeurs. Original stone lithographic prints of James Richard’ s La Touraine Chinon travel poster currently sell (2019) for in the region of $1500.