Ride the Rails in New Library Exhibition

Train posters: Rhone to the Rhine, To the Hebrides, and Explore Railway Martigny Chateland Chamon

This fall, a Library exhibition of rare and picturesque train posters will transport armchair travelers to faraway destinations. The Train Takes You II: Posters and Pairings for the Virtual Traveler features nineteen advertising posters from the 1920s to the 1950s, with selected posters augmented by complementary artworks and ephemera that depict similar views and landmarks. The exhibition revisits and expands upon an exhibition the Library mounted in 2010.

Representing the U.K., France, the United States, Australia, South Africa and Switzerland, these posters document a more glamorous era of travel. Passengers slept and ate in stylish and luxurious accommodations, especially in first class, and frequently enjoyed stunning views. One rare Swiss poster, for example, is displayed alongside an important 1864 painting by American landscapist Sanford Gifford, both showing the snow-capped summit of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps. Most of these posters rely on idealized illustrations and minimal text to encourage consumers to book their next exciting trip.

The posters are drawn from the extensive collection of railroad memorabilia assembled by Jeremiah J. O’Connor and donated to the library in the 1960s by his sister, Margaret M. O’Connor. After receiving his undergraduate and law degrees at Georgetown, O'Connor served in World War II and had a distinguished career in the foreign service. A related display of O’Connor’s travel ephemera is planned for the Kerbs Gallery this fall.

With foreign travel currently limited, now is the perfect time to revisit these romantic locales and begin planning the long-awaited post-pandemic vacation.