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Marseille Porte de l'Afrique du Nord

Poster
1928-1930 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This advertising poster by Roger Broders was designed for the French Railway Company, the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée (PLM), circa 1929. Broders created posters for tourist locations along that route, including mountain resorts around Chamonix and Mont Blanc, and holiday hotspots on France's Mediterranean coast. This poster, advertising Marseilles as a tourist destination, was included in the V&A Art Deco exhibition in 2003.

The image is of a busy harbour, with shiny black ships floating side by side in the blue water, their flags hoisted up high. The landscape in the distance is the colour of sun-burnt sand. In its simplified lines and bold colours this travel poster manages to evoke a mood and a sense of place. At the time of its production, posters like these had a powerful effect on people's imaginations; this was how imagery of far-away places found its way into advertising. This image glamourises not only travel, but also the modern machinery that made mass tourism possible.

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Discover more about this object
view Art Deco printmakers The Art Deco design movement touched every creative medium from roughly 1910 to 1940, and prints and posters of the age were no exception. Ultimately about pleasure and modernity, the style widely reflected themes of fast-paced city life and featured bold geometric forms.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMarseille Porte de l'Afrique du Nord (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Colour lithograph
Brief description
Poster by Roger Broders, 'Marseille Porte de l'Afrique du Nord,' advertising P.L.M. Railways, colour lithograph. France, ca. 1929.
Physical description
A poster showing a harbour with ships with black, white and red, reflecting on the surface of blue water, with smaller boats surrounding them. Sand-coloured skyline and a blue sky in the background.
Dimensions
  • Height: 101.6cm
  • Width: 63.5cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
'Roger Broders.' (Signed )
Credit line
Given by the Underground Electric Railways
Subjects depicted
Places depicted
Summary
This advertising poster by Roger Broders was designed for the French Railway Company, the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée (PLM), circa 1929. Broders created posters for tourist locations along that route, including mountain resorts around Chamonix and Mont Blanc, and holiday hotspots on France's Mediterranean coast. This poster, advertising Marseilles as a tourist destination, was included in the V&A Art Deco exhibition in 2003.

The image is of a busy harbour, with shiny black ships floating side by side in the blue water, their flags hoisted up high. The landscape in the distance is the colour of sun-burnt sand. In its simplified lines and bold colours this travel poster manages to evoke a mood and a sense of place. At the time of its production, posters like these had a powerful effect on people's imaginations; this was how imagery of far-away places found its way into advertising. This image glamourises not only travel, but also the modern machinery that made mass tourism possible.
Bibliographic reference
Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1932. London: HMSO, 1933
Collection
Accession number
E.3642-1932

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Record createdJanuary 26, 2004
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