Chemins de fer Néerlandais - Visitez la Hollande 1920

This elegant travel poster by Joseph Rovers was produced in 1920 for the Dutch railways (Chemins de fer Néerlandais) to promote tourism to the Netherlands in the years immediately following the First World War. At a time when European travel was being rediscovered, railway companies commissioned leading illustrators to craft evocative images that would inspire confidence, curiosity, and a sense of picturesque escape.

Rovers’ composition centers on a traditionally dressed Dutch man in the foreground, his calm, dignified presence acting as a human gateway into the landscape behind him. In the distance, windmills rise beside still waterways under a luminous sky, instantly recognizable symbols of Holland. The scene is carefully balanced: the warm tones of the figure contrast with the soft blues and ochres of the sky and water, creating both intimacy and depth. Rather than depicting crowds or modern infrastructure, the poster emphasizes authenticity, rural calm, and timeless national identity.

Stylistically, the poster reflects the refined graphic language of early 20th-century European travel advertising, blending painterly technique with clear, bold typography. The monumental lettering of “Visitez la Hollande” anchors the image, ensuring instant readability from afar, while the illustration itself invites closer viewing through its subtle modeling and atmospheric light.

Joseph Rovers was part of a generation of commercial artists who helped define the golden age of travel posters. His work demonstrates how national tourism boards used idealized imagery to construct appealing visual narratives, merging folklore, landscape, and modern transportation into a single persuasive image.

Today, this poster stands as a classic example of interwar travel advertising: both a document of its time and a timeless invitation to discovery. It captures the Netherlands not simply as a destination, but as an experience shaped by tradition, serenity, and visual harmony.

Original Poster

Tourism - Railway - Netherlands

Printed by Emrik & Binger in Haarlem

Good condition, slight creases