Guide to Manchuria and Korea issued by the South Manchuria Railway, circa 1930. Unframed Vintage Travel Poster

Guide to Manchuria and Korea issued by the South Manchuria Railway, circa 1930. Unframed Vintage Travel Poster

The South Manchuria Railway was the result of Japan’s victory over Russia in the Russo-Japanese war of 1905. Wikipediea says:

The South Manchuria Railway Company (or  南満州鉄道 or “Mantetsu”) was a company founded in the Empire of Japan in 1906, taken over after the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), and operated within China in the Japanese-controlled South Manchuria Railway Zone. The railway itself ran from Lüshun Port at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula to Harbin, where it connected to the Chinese Eastern Railway.

As part of the the company’s marketing, the railway (Mantestu) developed modern towns, built to the latest standards of modern architecture. In addition to these physical attributes, the South Manchuria Railway had both its own design office and hired some leading graphic designers to advertise the railway internationally. Over the years of its existence, the SMR launched a number of campaigns. Poster examples (in Japanese, scroll down) are here, here, here, here, here, here and here. The material published by the railway’s publicity department in the 1930s are beautiful and are some of our favorite items in the collection.

Museum-quality posters made on thick and durable matte paper. Add a wonderful accent to your room and office with these posters that are sure to brighten any environment.

• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 5.57 oz/y² (189 g/m²)
• Giclée printing quality
• Opacity: 94%
• ISO brightness: 104%