This original 1905 travel poster by Georges Meunier was created to promote rail tourism to Brunnen, Switzerland, located near Lucerne on the shores of Lake Lucerne. Issued for the Chemins de fer du Nord et de l’Est, it advertised convenient rail connections from northern France — particularly Calais and Boulogne — toward Basel and Switzerland, highlighting the growing ease of international leisure travel during the Belle Époque.
Georges Meunier (1869–1942) was a noted French poster artist associated with the golden age of illustrated advertising. His work blends elegance, decorative composition, and vibrant colour, often depicting fashionable leisure scenes designed to attract an affluent travelling public. In this poster, he combines scenic Alpine landscape, lakeside resort architecture, and refined holiday activities, creating an aspirational vision of Swiss tourism.
The composition juxtaposes panoramic views of Brunnen and Lake Lucerne with inset vignettes of fashionable visitors enjoying relaxation and recreation, reinforcing the destination’s appeal as both picturesque and socially desirable. Such imagery reflects early twentieth-century railway marketing strategies that linked modern transport with luxury travel and healthful mountain retreats.
Today, this poster stands as a fine example of Belle Époque railway advertising — valued both for its artistic quality and for its testimony to the development of European tourism at the dawn of the twentieth century.
Original Poster
Railway - Tourism - Switzerland
Services from Calais, Boulogne to Basel and Switzerland
Printed by Chaix in Paris
Good condition, creases visible
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