
Nord Express, 1927
Adolphe Mouron Cassandre; Designer: A. M. Cassandre; Printer: Hatchard et Cie.
Color lithograph
The Modernism Collection, gift of Norwest Bank Minnesota P.98.33.9
Not on View
While new transportation technology caused a great deal of change and upheaval, it was also celebrated as an exciting achievement. Cassandre portrays the modernism of the train with clean and simple shapes and emphasizes its power by having us look up at its towering iron form from a track-level perspective. He also emphasizes the speed of the railway with straight lines that disappear rapidly into the distance.
Cassandre's celebratory poster may have helped the public to see train trips as an enjoyable part of a journey rather than just a means of transport. Immediately upon boarding, passengers could escape the routine of ordinary life and enjoy the possibilities afforded by industrialization.
Image: In Copyright. The Modernism Collection, gift of Norwest Bank Minnesota