Produced circa 1900, this original French educational poster is number 12 from Series III of the celebrated Tableaux auxiliaires Delmas. Entitled Une gare—A Railway Station—the plate was engraved by Émile Poissonnié under the direction of Ernest Rochelle and published by G. Delmas in Bordeaux. The composition presents an exceptionally detailed view of a large railway station at the height of the steam era. Beneath monumental iron-and-glass arches, passengers circulate between the concourse and platforms while porters, railway employees and vendors attend to their different duties. Steam locomotives, passenger carriages and luggage wagons occupy the tracks beyond. Numerous elements of railway life appear throughout the scene, including ticket offices, a baggage counter, newspaper kiosks and the station buffet. In the distance, the viewer can identify a water tower, points, bridges, engine sheds and a railway tunnel. The successive layers of activity create an animated panorama of transportation and everyday life around 1900. The small numbers distributed across the image corresponded to a vocabulary list contained in an accompanying teaching booklet. Ninety-five different terms could be learned from this single plate. The series was designed for the “direct method” of language teaching, allowing students to associate words with objects and actions without relying upon translation into their native language. Émile Poissonnié was a Bordeaux-based painter, illustrator and engraver active during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His remarkably precise drawing gives this educational image both documentary value and considerable decorative appeal. This original Delmas poster is particularly desirable for collectors of railway history, French school charts, educational material and turn-of-the-century popular imagery. Original poster Railway - Transport - Educational Under the direction of M.E. Rochelle G. Delmas Bordeaux Good condition, traces of folds
