Algerie Tunisie Maroc - Transatlantique

This is one of the most elegantly painted poster designs for North Africa that we have seen. The fact that it is by the highly celebrated female artist, Jeanne Thil makes it even more special. A desert scene plays out, with no separation between the viewer and the subjects. Fresh fruit, a staple of the region, lays before us as Bedouins from the high desert take a moment to rest and refresh on their trade route. It was created for the French shipping line, Compagnie Generale Transatlantique to promote travel to the French (then) colonies of Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.

Jeanne Thil (1887 - 1968) was a female artist from Calais, France who worked within the Orientalist School of painting. In 1921, she won a travel stipend in an art competition that allowed her to travel extensively throughout Northern Africa, adding important visual knowledge to her repertoire. Paintings from her time abroad won her several awards in the French Salon, and she was even nominated for the famed Legion of Honor in 1938. In addition to her commercial work for companies such as CGT, Thil was also hired by both the French government as well as tourism boards throughout North Africa. She is a wonderful yet frustratingly rare example of a French female artist who earned recognition in her lifetime. French art critic and Thil contemporary, Camille Mauclair lauded Thil as "not just among the best female painters, but one of the best history and Orientalist painters of our time."

The Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (commonly shortened to "CGT"), typically known overseas as the French Line, was a shipping company established in 1861. It began as an attempt to revive the French merchant marine, which was in dire straights following the Crimean War of 1856. The company's first vessel, the SS Washington, had its maiden voyage in 1864. In addition to operating ocean liners, the company also had a significant fleet of freighters. The company survived both World Wars, but was no competition to the expansion of traveling by plane. In 1977, the company merged with the Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes to form the Compagnie Generale Maritime. Then, in 1996, the company Compagnie Générale Maritime merged to form the CMA CGM.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is conservation mounted, linen backed, and in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity of all of our posters.