Mountain posters: showcasing the Alps and the Pyrenees on your walls
The Alps, the Pyrenees, the Massif Central. Mountain posters span Roger Broders, the alpine railways, the thermal spa resorts and the first skiing pioneers. Selection and advice.
Key points
- 125 posters in the Mountain posters collection, the 20 from this article in the table below.
- From 19,40 € in A4, up to 73,15 € in A0, 5 sizes for each poster.
- Printed in Europe on demand, free delivery from 59 €.
The table
The 20 posters at a glance
Mountains in poster form are not a genre, they are a whole universe. Roger Broders and the PLM sold the Alps to all of France between 1922 and 1932. The Pyrenees have their own tradition, and so does the Massif Central. 4 successive waves of posters, each with its own palette, subjects and audience. Here is how to find your way through them and dress a wall properly.
The Broders Alps dominate the visual language: Chamonix, Megève, Le Fayet, in clean verticals and snow-and-azure palettes. The Pyrenees have their own tone, wilder, with Gavarnie, the Pic du Midi, and an ochre-green palette. The Massif Central and the Vosges are present in the background, in a more discreet register.
As for placement: a chalet, a living room in warm tones, or a simple reading nook where you dream of altitude. A1 is the ideal size to do justice to the verticals. Raw wood or matte black metal frame. See our mountain posters collection and our Savoy posters. For chalet decorating advice, see also our chalet and mountain guide.
The mountains, poster artists’ favorite playground
If you were to remember just one name: Roger Broders. A Parisian painter born in 1883 and died in 1953, he created more than 80 posters for the Compagnie PLM between 1922 and 1932. His series covers the whole diagonal running from Geneva to Menton via Chamonix, Megève and Briançon.
His visual language became the language of the alpine poster: stylized peaks as sharp triangles, a skier or hiker simplified to the extreme, a cobalt-white-orange palette. All modern mountain iconography descends from Broders, whether we realize it or not.
Alongside him, other traditions exist. Spa town posters (Évian, Vichy, Aix-les-Bains) play a more Belle Époque card, golden and romantic. The Pyrenees posters by Cassin and Reb favor summer landscapes. The Massif Central is less represented, which makes it a niche for collectors.
4 seasons, 4 palettes
The alpine winter (Broders and his school)
Deep cobalt, snow white, an orange accent for the sun or an anorak. Central subjects: skiing, snowshoeing, trains in the snow. This is the most emblematic sub-genre.
The alpine summer
Meadow green, lavender, pale blue sky, with white peaks still in the background. Subjects: hiking, foraging, mountain huts. More contemplative, slower. Works well in a bedroom or an office.
Belle Époque spa towns
Gold, powder pink, sea green, tender green. Women in long dresses on balconies, thermal casinos, springs. For a boudoir or an elegant bathroom.
The Pyrenees and their waters
Deep blue of the lakes, fir green, gray of the rocks, sometimes a stormy sky. More dramatic than the Alps, less populated. Very good in a living room where you want a rawer character.
Which wall for a mountain poster
A white or cream wall for the cobalt Broders, which need air around them. A dark wall (forest green, chocolate brown, midnight blue) for the golden spa posters, which light up against the dark. Light wood for the contemplative Pyrenees.
3 compositions that work
The 5 Broders
5 Broders posters from the 1920s lined up on a wide wall, A3 size. All by the same illustrator, so the cohesion is perfect. Spacing of 5 cm, top edges aligned.
The statement piece
A single large A1 or 70x100 poster, in a wide raw wood frame, centered. A true living room centerpiece. Keep the surroundings uncluttered.
The seasons mix
4 small-format posters (A4 or A5), one for each alpine season, in a 2x2 grid or in a row. The story of the 4 seasons brings rhythm to a hallway or a stairway.
Build this wall
3 posters from this article, at true scale
All 3 posters: 104,42 €
Frequently asked questions
You often ask us
Are mountain posters all about skiing?
No. Vintage mountain art also covers spa towns (Évian, Aix-les-Bains), summer hikes, alpine railways and contemplative landscapes. Skiing is only one subgenre, admittedly the best known.
Who are the great mountain poster artists?
Roger Broders is the undisputed master of the PLM mountain posters (1922-1932). Henri Reb, Eric De Coulon and Marcello Dudovich (on the Italian side) are also worth knowing. For skiing, Wolfgang Foerster left his mark on the 1930s-1950s.
What size mountain poster works best in a chalet?
A large size (A1 or 70x100) really brings the mountains into the room. Choose a raw wood frame (larch, fir) with a cream or brown mat. Avoid gold, which looks like misplaced Belle Époque at 1,500 m of altitude.
Do mountain posters look nostalgic in the city?
Not if the poster is well chosen. A Broders poster in a Paris apartment suggests elegance and a reminder of weekends at altitude. It is anything but heavy-handed.
How do I create a wall of several mountain posters?
Use 3 or 5 aligned posters if they share an illustrator (for example 5 Broders), or an asymmetrical layout if you are mixing eras. Keep a consistent palette: all glacier blues, or all sunset ochers.
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