Aix-les-Bains Travel Poster: P.L.M. by Frederic Hugo d’Alési, 1897

P. L. M. Aix les Bains by F. Hugo d’Alési (1897) is a luminous Belle Époque travel poster inviting the viewer to the spa town of Aix-les-Bains on the shores of Lac du Bourget in Savoy. Created for the PLM railway, it blends Art Nouveau elegance with a clear sense of place: gentle mountain curves, a shimmering lake, and leisure scenes that speak to the era’s passion for restorative travel. A striped boat awning, clusters of vivid blossoms, and a striking architectural inset convey both the charm of lakeside life and the grandeur awaiting visitors upon arrival.

This listing is for a museum-quality fine art print of the original poster, available on acid-free archival paper or artist’s cotton canvas. Printed with long-lasting, pigment-rich inks, it preserves the poster’s fresh greens, sunlit yellows, and soft purples with exceptional fidelity. Choose from a range of sizes, with optional framing and matting. The Unique Maps Co. can personalize your piece with custom captions, dates, or inscriptions and can adapt borders and proportions to suit your space.

About the artist: Frédéric Alexianu—better known as F. Hugo d’Alési—was an Austrian-born French painter, illustrator, and poster artist (1849–1906) who made Paris his creative home. A prolific designer for the great European transport firms of the late nineteenth century, he produced celebrated advertising for the Paris–Lyon–Méditerranée (PLM), Paris–Orléans, and Western railways, as well as for shipping lines and emerging automobile marques. His refined sense of composition and color earned him inclusion in prestigious poster anthologies of the time.

Why this destination matters: Aix-les-Bains rose to fame as a thermal resort where Europe’s travelers sought wellness, mountain air, and lakeside leisure. By 1897, modern rail made the journey effortless, and posters like this were the elegant heralds of a new era of tourism. Here, the town’s setting—alpine silhouettes, clear water, and cultivated promenades—speaks to a ritual of escape and repose that defined the Belle Époque. The inset view underscores the quality of the resort’s amenities, while the main scene celebrates the slow pleasures of boating and strolling by the shore.

Design details to love: The Art Nouveau sensibility flows through soft, fluid brushwork and curving forms that mirror the lake and encircling peaks. Delicate gradients—warm yellow light dissolving into cool, lake-toned blues and greens—create an inviting atmosphere, while accents of vibrant pink and purple blossoms punctuate the composition. The patterned boat awning adds rhythmic stripes that balance the landscape’s natural lines, and the inset architecture offers a crisp counterpoint, giving the viewer both mood and information. As wall art, this piece lends serenity and sophistication to living rooms, studies, and entryways, pairing beautifully with contemporary and classic interiors alike.

A thoughtful, travel-savvy gift, this print is ideal for anyone who has fallen in love with the French Alps, visited Aix-les-Bains, or dreams of lakeside holidays. It makes a memorable present for housewarmings, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Christmas—especially for the friend who can’t stop talking about that perfect afternoon on the water.

If you're not sure what size to order, or you're looking for a custom order of some kind – a different size, a different colour, a special frame – then please contact me. I usually respond within a few minutes.

You can see an example of my fine art personalisation service in the fifth image. Zoom in and take a look. My personalised artwork is always very well received. Take a look at more examples of personalisation.

You can also choose to age your art print to make it look older. This is popular amongst my customers who want their artwork to look like an older, antique print. You can see an example of ageing in the sixth product image, or go ahead and check out lots of examples of other aged artwork.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.

I can print and frame this beautiful piece of art at sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). If you are looking for a size or framing option that isn't available online, please get in touch.

This artwork is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. My standard frames come in six colours (black, dark brown, dark grey, antique gold, oak and white), and custom framing is available for an additional charge. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.