Chemin de Fer d'Orleans, Touraine et Berry - after Hugo d'Alesi

Christophe Adrien (Count) Regley de Koenigsegg

An advertisement for tourism by train in the Loire Valley, specifically Orleans, Touraine, and Berry. The original work was a large lithographic poster designed by Hugo d'Alesi (Romanian/French: 1849 - 1906), a painter, printmaker, and illustrator whose works were popular during the Belle Epoque poster era. He was one of the first artists commissioned to produce travel and tourism advertisements for the railways. His style was admired by artists, as well, and of his work the artist Paul Cezanne stated: "I should like to do decorative landscapes like Hugo d'Alesi, yes, with my small sensibility." (Cezanne p. 232)

This miniature image, measuring 1/16th the size of the original, features the famous Chateau de Valencay in Berry and its formal gardens. The elegant manor is situated on a plateau overlooking the Nahon River, and has the remains of its original 11th century structure buried beneath its current footprint. Included in d'Aleri's image is a profusion of spring blossoms, typical of his stylistic forte, enticing the viewer to imagine strolling in the perfumed gardens of an estate praised the world over for its timeless beauty.