Marseille starting point of the french riviera

Marseille, Golden Gateway to the Mediterranean — An Art Deco Masterpiece by Roger Broders (1929)

A Landmark of French Travel Art

Here is one of the most iconic posters ever created to celebrate the Mediterranean dream: “Marseille – Point de Départ de la Côte d’Azur”, an original 1929 lithograph by the great French travel-poster artist Roger Broders. Commissioned by the prestigious railway company PLM, it embodies the optimistic, modern and sun-drenched spirit of the 1930s.

Broders showcases his full artistic strength: a powerful, streamlined locomotive dominating the foreground; a touring car filled with eager travellers; and, in the distance, the deep blue horizon—a promise of light, summer and escape. The dynamic diagonal composition almost feels cinematic: you can sense the movement, the momentum, the call of the South.

A Genuine Fragment of the Golden Age of Tourism

In the 1920s–30s, Marseille became the grand gateway to the emerging Riviera resorts—Saint-Raphaël, Cannes, Antibes, Nice, Menton… PLM orchestrated a visionary visual campaign, and Broders designed some of its most iconic pieces.
This poster belongs to that graphic mythology that shaped the early image of the Côte d’Azur: a world of elegant leisure, luminous beaches, movement and freedom.

Owning an original from this period means holding a true witness of the birth of modern tourism, a piece of history from the moment when France was redefining its relationship with travel, comfort and the Mediterranean sun.