c.1900 PLM Railways “Port Marchand – Marseille” – F. Hugo d’Alesi – Original Chromolithograph Poster

Item Description

Offered is an original Belle Époque chromolithograph travel poster designed by the celebrated French artist F. Hugo d’Alesi (1849–1906) for the PLM (Paris–Lyon–Méditerranée) Railway, promoting Port Marchand, Marseille around 1900.

This striking harbor scene shows the bustling docks of Marseille filled with sailing ships, steamships, dockworkers, cargo barrels, and maritime trade, capturing the optimism and grandeur of France’s Golden Age of travel and commerce.

D’Alesi’s posters are considered among the finest and most artistic railway and maritime advertisements of the 19th century, rivaling Chéret, Cappiello, and Mucha in both color and composition.

Artist

F. Hugo d’Alesi was one of the most important French poster artists of the Belle Époque, best known for his large-format railway and steamship advertisements for PLM, Messageries Maritimes, and other major transport companies.

Original d’Alesi posters are held in:

• The Bibliothèque nationale de France

• Musée d’Orsay

• The British Museum

• Major poster collections worldwide

Poster Details

• Title: Port Marchand – Marseille
• Artist: F. Hugo d’Alesi
• Publisher: PLM Railways
• Date: Circa 1900
• Medium: Chromolithograph on paper
• Signed: In plate
• Size: approx. 29x41 relined on card as is the norm measuring 44x31
• Origin: France

Condition

This poster is in very good antique condition for a large-format 120+ year-old lithograph.

✔ Strong, rich color

✔ No modern reproduction

✔ Light toning and age-appropriate discoloration

✔ Subtle undulations and minor abrasions to frame (as noted)

The image presents beautifully and is ideal for display.

Why This Poster Matters

This is not a reproduction — it is an original early 20th-century advertising poster from the golden age of French travel and maritime commerce.

It represents:

• The rise of luxury rail & sea travel

• Marseille as France’s great Mediterranean port

• The peak of French poster art before WWI

Authenticity Guarantee

Originally bought from Simon Badinter a well known and respected author and historian of French of travel posters he noted this as A condition and note included

Guaranteed to be:

✔ An original chromolithograph

✔ Circa 1900

✔ Not a reproduction, giclée, or modern print

This will be shipped tube rolled