Algerie - Les Gorges d'El Kantara

Between the developments of steam engine trains and boats and the expansion of the French Empire into North Africa, turn of the century French travelers were able to explore the wider world in exciting ways. Here we see the beauty one could experience in Algeria, specifically in the quite remote Eastern region of the country. Known as the "Mouth of the Desert", El Kantara is a caravan station along the Ancient Roman Road. It abuts a narrow gorge, making it an oasis for date palms and overnight camps before heading into the arid desert. The area remains quite remote to this day, making it all the more impressive that it waranted a French travel poster from the early 1900s! Hugo d’Alesi (1849-1906) created this stunning poster. Born in Romania, d’Alesi was one of the first true poster artists and he worked almost exclusively for the P.L.M. train company. He printed his posters in an elaborate fashion that often incorporated more than 15 colors, which gave them a rich, watercolor effect