A 19TH century French travel poster advertising a train and ferry service from France to the Channel Islands sold for £5,000 when it went under the hammer recently.
The exceptionally rare poster was published in Paris in 1889 and was designed to encourage French tourists to take a trip to Guernsey, and Jersey in particular, by a new line to Carteret.
The large-sized printed lithograph was sold by Martel Maides Auctions at their premises in Guernsey, where it went to an anonymous bidder.
Titled Chemins de Fer de L’Ouest, the poster features colour illustrations of Mont Orgueil and vignettes of St Helier, Corbière and Devil’s Hole (Gorges de Plémont).
A map shows the train connections between Paris, Jersey and Guernsey to numerous ports and stations across France, from Rouen in the east to Dinard in the west and to Angers and Nantes to the south. Also included are comprehensive timetables and fares for first-, second- and third-class travellers.
Despite not reaching the top estimate, Jonathan Voak, paintings specialist at Martel Maides, was happy with the bidding.
“Considering its rarity and historical importance, not to mention its remarkable condition, it is surprising that it did not sell for more but that is the unpredictable nature of an auction and what makes them so exciting,” he said. “It was difficult to estimate as I wasn’t aware of another example or anything quite like it on the market in recent years. But it sold on the reserve, so I wasn’t disappointed with the result,” said Mr Voak.
The next Martel Maides auction is of fine wines, ports and spirits auction on Monday 18 December at 6pm timed to coincide with the festive season.
