1939-1945 Credit Lyonnais Fonde en 1863 Afrique du Nord & Union Francaise

This brightly colored vintage poster-map was printed by the brilliant Lucian Boucher for Credit Lyonnais, one of France’s largest banks. The poster depicts southernmost Spain, and a large portion of Africa, extending from the west coast as far east as Chad, Libya, Cameroon and the Congo. Boucher took great pains to illustrate the great abundance of agricultural based industries throughout the entire region. All manner of flora and fauna are brightly depicted. Grand architectural edifices are included, and all manner of seagoing vessels sail the waters. Born in Chartres, France, he graduated from the Ecole de céramiques de Sèvres, and began his career as cartoonist for the satiric newspaper Le Rire. In the 1920s he worked actively as poster designer for the movies and the advertising industry. He designed a significant number of lithographies inspired by the surrealism style. He is widely known for a series of colorful, detailed Air France poster designs. He is often referred to as "Mon